Man arrested over Belfast delivery driver’s murder

Dan Murray, a 55-year-old father of six, was shot in the head on Monday night

Police at the scene of the murder of Dan Murray in west Belfast. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Police at the scene of the murder of Dan Murray in west Belfast. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire

A man has been arrested by detectives investigating the murder of a takeaway delivery driver in Belfast.

Dan Murray, a 55-year-old father of six, was shot in the head when he drove into the Lady Street area of west Belfast on Monday night.

Mr Murray, who was known to police and had survived a previous murder bid, was lured to the area by a bogus food order.

He had been dispatched in his black Ford Focus to deliver food to a house in the street but the order was actually called in from a phone box nearby at the junction of the Antrim Road and Cliftonville Road.

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The 38-year-old suspect was detained in west Belfast on Wednesday night. He remained in custody at Musgrave police station in the city on Thursday morning.

There were two other shootings in the city on Monday.

A 17-year-old male was shot several times in the leg at Carlisle Square in north Belfast, while a 25-year-old man was shot a number of times in an alleyway between Sheridan Street and Donore Court off the Antrim Road.

Police are investigating whether one or both these are criminal gang “personal grudge” shootings or so-called punishment attacks.

Mr Murray was known to the police and believed to be involved in drug dealing, although his partner Ciara Austin said he was not a dealer and had never been convicted of any drug crime.

He was targeted a number of times in recent years by groups such as the Continuity IRA and Action Against Drugs.

In March last year, he survived an apparent murder attempt when he was shot in the face, while seven years ago he was shot in the legs in an attack blamed on the Continuity IRA. Ms Austin said the Continuity IRA was trying to extract money from him.