Shooting linked to loyalist feud

Forensic examination of the scene was carried out

A shooting in County Antrim, which has left a man critically ill, has been linked to a feud between rival factions of a loyalist paramilitary group, police have said.

The shooting happened shortly after 2030GMT on Tuesday at a house at Dunluskin Gardens in Carrickfergus.

Police said two masked men burst into the house and opened fire, hitting the man several times.

One man has been arrested in connection with the shooting.

It would appear there was no quarter given

Paul Hamlin
PSNI

The latest loyalist feud began following the expulsion of Johnny Adair and John White from the Ulster Defence Association several months ago.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hamlin who is leading the investigation said: "It would appear there was no quarter given. He has been shot several times."

The victim's partner, who was also in the house at the time, was not injured.

The couple's young child, who was playing nearby, saw the gunmen run off across the road onto waste ground.

The victim underwent emergency surgery.

Detectives have appealed for information about the incident.

The attack is the third shooting in the province in the past three weeks.

On Boxing Day, Jonathan Stewart, 22, was shot dead in north Belfast.

Mr Stewart, who had no paramilitary links, was a relative of one of ex-UFF leader Johnny Adair's former associates.

And on 2 January, Roy Green, 32, was shot as he left a bar in the Ormeau area of south Belfast.

A former prisoner, Mr Green was a member of the Ulster Defence Association, but was said to have been critical of the organisation's leadership.

The paramilitary group, the Ulster Freedom Fighters - a cover name for the UDA - said it was behind the attack.