Investigation into death continues

Police are investigating how the man died

Police in Portrush are conducting a murder inquiry after the death of a 24-year-old man in the town centre.

It happened during an incident in the Station Square area of the County Antrim town shortly after 0145 GMT on Tuesday.

The man who died had been in the Bed nightclub with friends. It is understood that when they were leaving in the early hours of the morning a row started amongst them.

An ambulance was called but the injured man, Brian Edgar Caskey from Lockinhill Park in Coleraine, was dead on arrival in hospital.

The police began a murder investigation following the death and a 23-year-old man is being questioned.

A post-mortem examination was being carried out to establish the cause of death.

At this stage we are treating it as a murder investigation

Richard Russell
Divisional commander

Divisional Commander Richard Russell said they were hoping CCTV footage would provide some clues.

He said police believed there was some footage from the camera which would be useful to the investigation.

"We are lucky enough in that recently a CCTV camera was installed in Station Square."

"At this stage we are treating it as a murder investigation and that entails finding out first of all has a murder taken place and if so what were the circumstances."

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said he was concerned at the incident.

"All too often in the past couple of years there have been young people in the vicinity of a nightclub, of some form of entertainment, and at the conclusion of the night's events there is a death," he said

'Society problem'

"There is a tragic outcome here as there has been on three other separate occasions.

"I think it is a policing problem but as well as that I think it is a society problem that we are going to have to deal with."

The police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Detectives do not believe the incident had a sectarian motive.

They are particularly interested in speaking to a taxi driver who picked up a fare in the area at the time.