Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill Condemns Shooting of Senior Officer in Omagh
Michelle O’Neill condemned the assault on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell alongside political representatives from the five main Stormont parties, including DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein has condemned the shooting of a senior Northern Ireland police officer.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill Condemns Shooting of Senior Officer in Omagh. Friday at a news conference, the party’s deputy leader stated, “We condemn the attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell with a unified voice.”
“In times like these, we must stand united,” she said.
“And we are unified in our condemnation of this heinous attack on a police officer, a member of our community, as we stand here.
“I believe the most powerful message we can send is to stand with the chief of police and the police service today and say, “This is not acceptable.”
This is an attack on all of us, on our community as a whole.
Ms. O’Neill spoke alongside the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and political representatives from the five main Stormont parties, including DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who labeled the attackers as “evil.”
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He said: “I would tell the criminals and their organization that they are not the future of this area. We are opposed to you.”
He stated that his party would collaborate with other parties to work with the government to ensure that sufficient resources are made available to the police force “so that it can perform its duties effectively.”
Stephen Farry, the leader of the Alliance Party, added, “Today, all five parties of Northern Ireland are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the chief constable and every brave member of the PSNI.”
Doug Beattie, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), described the shooting as an “attack on our community and our hard-won peace,” whereas Colum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), stated that those responsible would “achieve nothing.”
Before 8 p.m. on Wednesday in Omagh, County Tyrone, DCI Caldwell was shot multiple times in front of the youths he was coaching at a sports center.
Two men opened fire on the detective while he was loading footballs into the trunk of his car, according to the police.
The force reported on Thursday that DCI Caldwell ran a short distance after the first shots were fired and that his assailants continued to fire at him as he fell to the ground.
The PSNI previously stated that the dissident republican group New IRA is the “primary focus” of the attempted murder investigation.
On Thursday morning, three men aged 38, 45, and 47 were arrested in Omagh and Coalisland in connection with the investigation.
A fourth arrest occurred early on Friday morning. Early on Friday morning, the 22-year-old was taken into custody in the Coalisland region.
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Following the attempt on his life, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne stated that DCI Caldwell remained “critically ill and heavily sedated” in the hospital.
“From the perspective of the police service, we do not underestimate the significance of today’s act of unity by all the political parties in Northern Ireland,” he stated.
“Based on what we’ve done thus far and the responses we’ve received from across the community and the political spectrum, we’re aware of the outrage that this pointless and senseless attack has generated.”
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