The burnt out car used in the getaway after the shooting at Hotel Carlton, Belleek, on Tuesday morning RMG03
Gardai and the PSNI were last night (Tuesday) hunting a gang who fled in the direction of the border following an early morning shooting incident at the Carlton Hotel in Belleek.
Staff were said to have been left shaken after four armed and masked men arrived at the hotel on Main Street shortly before 9.30am yesterday and threatened them.
They fired one shot into the van of a contractor who was working there before making off in a black coloured Ford Escort car towards the border. Police confirmed that there was no one in the van at the time and no one sustained any injuries during the incident.
The men are all described as wearing dark coloured overalls with white stripes and balaclavas.
Detective Inspector Trevor Stevenson, who is investigating the shooting incident, said: “A car matching the description was discovered on fire a short time later in the Derrynacross Road area of Garrison where it is believed that the four males then left in a second unknown vehicle.”
At the time of going to press, local PSNI officers were continuing to work closely with An Garda Siochana to trace their movements as part of a cross border investigation.
Last week this newspaper revealed that the 35-bedroom hotel, which ceased trading in January 2013 after going into administration, has been acquired by Ballymena-based businessman Sam Morrison, owner of one of the North’s largest property firms, Corbo.
The company confirmed to the Herald that the business is re-opening later this year. When contacted yesterday, a spokesman declined to comment on the incident while investigations were ongoing.
Hotel Carlton, Belleek RMG02
The incident has been condemned by the First Minister Arlene Foster. In a statement to the Herald, she said: “This morning’s shooting in Belleek has added fear and disruption amongst many in the village and the wider community. I condemn the incident and I would call on local people to liaise with the police as the investigation develops.”
Local MP Tom Elliott also expressed concern that there are “still those who are intent on murder, attempted murder and disruption” within the community.
He added: “I was very shocked by the news as Belleek is quite a progressive town. People generally get on well and this incident will have come as a complete shock to the local community. This is very disappointing news and not what we want to see happening in any area.”
Sinn Fein Councillor John Feely described the incident as worrying, adding: “There can be no place for these type of incidents in our society.”
John Cunningham, who lives in Belleek, told this newspaper: “I have been a school teacher in this local area since 1969 and I feel that this is a violation of the local population. We have endured all of this before and re-built our businesses when the Troubles were at their height and re-started again every morning. That is why Belleek is a great wee town to stay in and do business in and we don’t want this sort of thing back in our town.”
Police have appealed to anyone who may have noticed any suspicious activity in the Main Street area of Belleek yesterday morning or witnessed the men abandoning the Ford Escort car in the Derrynacross Road area of Garrison to contact detectives at Enniskillen on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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