Warning
FATAL SHOT?
Moment masked ‘New IRA terror gunman opened fire at cops’ in Derry riot ‘killing journalist Lyra McKee’
Lyra McKee, 29, was shot dead by a stray bullet as violent riots gripped Londonderry last night
THIS is the horrific moment a masked terrorist is believed to have opened fire at cops - killing a talented young journalist during a violent riot in Londonderry.
Lyra McKee was shot dead last night by a stray bullet as New IRA thugs attacked police with petrol bombs and gunfire.
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Just four minutes before her death, the 29-year-old journalist posted a photo from the scene of the riots captioned: "Derry tonight. Absolute madness."
Her final movements were also captured on CCTV around an hour before she died as she took photos while stood in a crowd.
Police have now released footage appearing to show a masked man with his hands pointed out as though holding a gun crouching down in the shadows.
There is no sound but in original footage posted on social media, two gunshots can then be heard followed by harrowing screams in the distance.
POTENTIAL 'SNUFFED OUT'
Footage uploaded on Twitter is also alleged to show the harrowing moment the fatal shot was fired.
In the video, two gunshots ring out before a woman chillingly screams: "Help! Help!"
It comes as Lyra's partner Sara Canning today paid tribute to the published author following the senseless murder.
She said: "Our hopes and dreams and all of her amazing potential was snuffed out by this single barbaric act.
"Victims and LGBTQI community are left without a tireless advocate and activist and it has left me without the love of my life, the woman I was planning to grow old with.
"This cannot stand, Lyra's death must not be in vain because her life was a shining light in everyone else's life and her legacy will live on and the life that she has left behind."
'TERRORIST INCIDENT'
Lyra is understood to have moved from Belfast to Derry to live with "love of her life" Sara.
She was an editor for California-based news site Mediagazer and in 2016 was named by Forbes Magazine as one of their 30 under 30 in media.
More than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at police and two cars hijacked and set on fire as violence raged on the streets of Creggan.
Police believe the New IRA was "most likely" behind the "terrorist incident", saying Lyra was an "innocent bystander".
The Sun Says
THE TRAGIC death of Lyra McKee shows there is no room for complacency in Northern Ireland.
Everybody who worked with her speaks of a fearless, brave and exceptional journalist. Hers is a terrible loss.
The blame for her death lies with the terrorists, and the terrorists alone.
But we must restore faith in the political process in Northern Ireland. It has been more than two years since the Assembly was suspended and there has been scant progress in restoring it.
Resolving that impasse would go a long way to forming a healthier debate between Westminster and Dublin over Brexit, too.
Northern Ireland is a valuable part of our Union. It cannot be forgotten.
'APPALLING BEYOND BELIEF'
PSNI are now urging witnesses to come forward to catch those responsible for Lyra's brutal killing.
Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said: “Lyra’s death is senseless and appalling beyond belief. It represents the tragic loss of promise and the loss of potential, however it should not be the loss of hope.
"We know that the people of Creggan do not support what happened and they stand with us today in outrage and disgust at the mayhem that took place on their streets last night.
"People saw the gunman and people saw those who goaded young people out onto the streets, people know who they are. The answers to what happened last night lie within the community.
"I am asking people to do the right thing for Lyra McKee, for her family and for the city of Derry/Londonderry and help us stop this madness."
'SICK TO MY STOMACH'
Leona O'Neill, who was at the scene, said she called an ambulance for the tragic woman.
She tweeted: "I was standing beside this young woman when she fell beside a police Land Rover tonight in Creggan #Derry.
"I called an ambulance for her but police put her in the back of their vehicle and rushed her to hospital where she died.
"Just 29 years old. Sick to my stomach tonight."
The rioting erupted after a raid on a house that a large number of officers conducted in the area, with the police saying they were trying to prevent militant attacks that had been planned for the weekend.
MISSILES THROWN AT COPS
A major security operation was launched in Creggan after masked thugs lobbed petrol bombs and opened fire at police.
Fireworks are also understood to have been thrown at officers - while a hijacked van and other vehicles were set alight.
Armed cops were last night patrolling the smoke-filled streets of the city - as burned out cars and broken glass littered the area.
The IRA and the New IRA
The New IRA is an illegal dissident Irish republican paramilitary group which wants a united Ireland.
The Real IRA formed in 1997 after a split in the Provisional IRA after some members were unhappy with the IRA’s ceasefire that year and the ensuing Good Friday Agreement which was signed in 1998.
The New IRA is believed to have been formed between 2011 and 2012 following the merger of a number of smaller groups, including the Real IRA - the group behind the 1998 Omagh bomb.
The terrorist group believes it is the successor to the original Irish Republican Army.
Since its formation it has waged a violent campaign against the security forces in Northern Ireland and is thought to be responsible for a number of bombings and shooting.
The New IRA is the biggest of the dissident republican groups operating in Northern Ireland.
It has been linked with four murders including the shooting of journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry on Thursday night.
The other murders include Pc Ronan Kerr, who was killed by an under-car bomb in Omagh in 2011.
The group is also linked to the deaths of prison officers David Black, who was shot as he drove to work at Maghaberry Prison in 2012, and Adrian Ismay, who died in 2016 after a bomb exploded under his van outside his home in east Belfast.
It is strongest in Derry, north and west Belfast, Strabane in Co Derry, Lurgan in Co Armagh, and pockets of Tyrone.
This year the group was responsible for a car bomb outside the courthouse in Bishop Street, Derry.
The explosives-laden car was left on the city centre street on a Saturday night in January, and scores of people, including a group of teenagers, had walked past before it detonated.
The New IRA also claimed a number package bombs posted to targets in London and Glasgow in March.
Dramatic pictures showed the gutted remains of cars as masked thugs lobbed petrol bombs and other missiles.
Crowds can be seen in the background watching as a car goes up in flames and police are pelted with objects.
Others show armed cops standing by the remains of burned-out cars after the violence subsided.
'DARK DAY'
Politicians have now condemned the violence.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Robin Swann said news of the death was "devastating", adding: "A precious life lost, we can't go back to this nor can we allow others to drag us back."
Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill said the killing was a "senseless loss of life".
And Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster tweeted: "Heartbreaking news. A senseless act. A family has been torn apart."
Tensions have flared as Republicans prepare to mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising - the 1916 rebellion against British rule in Ireland.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Deputy chief constable Stephen Martin said: "Today is Good Friday and it's a cruel twist in our history that 21 years ago the majority of people in Northern Ireland signed up to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement yet here we are today mourning the loss of a talented young woman, a young journalist who was also a daughter, a sister and a partner.
"This is a dark day."
BRAVE BLOG MADE LYRA
TRAGIC Lyra McKee rose to prominence in Northern Ireland after a blog post in 2014 called “Letter to my 14-year-old self”.
In this, she spoke about the struggle of being gay in Belfast.
The letter was turned into a short film — and Lyra became a published author with Angels With Blue Faces, about a Troubles-era cold case murder.
She had recently signed a two-book deal with Faber & Faber.
Gifted writer Lyra was an editor for California-based news site Mediagazer and was named by Forbes as one of its “30 under 30” in the media in 2016.
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Journalist Lyra McKee delivers TED Talk fighting for change in religious teaching on LGBT people
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