Appeals for calm after shooting

Trouble started inside the Laurel Glen Bar

There have been appeals for calm after a shooting outside a bar in west Belfast.

A man is in a stable condition in hospital after being injured in the incident.

Trouble started in the Laurel Glen Bar on the Stewartstown Road in Twinbrook, just before 1900 BST on Friday.

A Sinn Fein councillor said she believed the incident was the result of a feud between members of the Travelling community in the area.

The man was hit on the head with an iron bar. The fight moved outside, where he was apparently shot in the leg.

Sinn Fein councillor Angela Nelson said she believed the trouble was linked to tensions within the Travelling community.

"There was a funeral yesterday and a christening today and they all went back to the bar to celebrate," she said.

"During the early part of the evening, a man walked into the bar, hit another man on the head with an iron bar and offered him outside for a fight.

"There's an ongoing feud among a couple of the families, which we have, in turn, been dealing with through holding meetings.

"I've been speaking to the brother of the fella that was shot and I've asked him to make sure that his family keep calm - we don't want it getting out of hand and anybody else getting hurt."

The victim, aged in his 20s, was taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital in the city for treatment.

Police officers have appealed for any witnesses to contact them.