Man shot in front of son in Northern Ireland 'victim of UDA internal feud'

A father fatally shot in front of his three-year-old son in Northern Ireland was targeted in an internal feud of the Ulster Defence Association, it has emerged.

Witnesses said Colin Horner, 35, was shot between four and six times in a Sainsbury’s car park in Bangor, County Down, on Sunday afternoon.

There were also reports on Monday that he tried to fight off the gunman who shot him. A member of the public performed CPR, but Hornerdied in hospital on Sunday evening.

It has been confirmed that Horner was a friend and associate of Geordie Gilmore, another victim of the internal UDA feud.

Gilmore was killed in Carrickfergus on the east Antrim coast in March. Afterwards Horner relocated across Belfast Lough to the supposed safety of North Down.

The feud involves two factions of so-called East Antrim Brigade (EAB). It erupted last summer in Carrickfergus after a fight between a number of women related to UDA figures escalated. Gilmore was ordered by the EAB’s leadership to leave town. He refused and set up a rival gang to challenge the authority of the local loyalist leaders.

The situation in Carrickfergus degenerated into petrol bomb attacks on homes and cars belonging to members of the two groups. In one incident more than 100 loyalists aligned to the leadership faction marched on Gilmore’s housein a protest urging him to leave town as riot police watched for any trouble.

By the end of 2016 George Hamilton, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, revealed £1.6m in police time and resources was spent keeping the two warring UDA factions apart.

Supt Brian Kee, PSNI district commander for Ards and North Down district, described the killing of Horner as “reckless” and said the man’s son could also have been killed.

“Our thoughts are very much with the family of the 35-year-old victim at this extremely difficult time and I condemn this brutal, senseless and horrendous killing,” he said, adding: “The recklessness of this murder is all too evident. It is beyond belief that the gunman shot the victim when he was out with his son. This young boy witnessed everything and he will undoubtedly carry that memory for the rest of his life. We are very lucky that we are not also dealing with the death of this child today.

“The gunman also showed total disregard for the safety of the public, including other children, who were in the car park at the time of the attack.”

James Brokenshire, the Northern Ireland secretary, said residents would be “deeply shocked” by this killing.

“To shoot someone in a busy supermarket car park in sight of children and shoppers shows a brutality and recklessness that will not be tolerated,” he said. “The PSNI are doing all they can to bring to justice anyone involved.”