The 29 year old Woman who was killed after shots were fired at police in the Creggan area of Londonderry yesterday evening has been named as journalist Lyra McKee.
Ms McKee was a journalist from Belfast. She has covered the ongoing conflicts within Northern Ireland and in 2016 Forbes Magazine names Lyra as one of their 30 under 30 in media.
As an author she penned a non-fiction book based on a cold case during the Northern Ireland Troubles which was released in 2018 and had signed a further two book deal.
Ms McKee had been on the scene of the troubles in the Creggan area behind the police line and had posted a picture of the scene on Twitter a short time before and just yards from where she was shot while standing beside a police landrover.
Lyra was quickly attended to by those nearby including police and as a matter of urgency, she was put into the back of the police landcover and taken at speed to hospital.
Sadly Ms McKee died as a result of her injury and police are treating her death as a terrorist incident and have now launched a murder inquiry.
“Sadly I can confirm that following shots being fired tonight in Creggan, a 29 year old woman has been killed. We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry.”
ACC Mark Hamilton
Another Journalist who was on scene, Leona O’Neill, was standing just feet from Ms McKee when she was shot and described on her social media page the aftermath.
“I have left Creggan now and am home.
A woman was shot and killed just feet from me on Fanad Drive. She fell at the wheel of a police vehicle.
My friend ran to help her and I rang an ambulance for her but as I was directing them as to where we were police officers placed her into the back of their vehicle and sped through a burning barricade to rush her to hospital. She was just 29-years-old.
A masked gunman fired into a crowd of Creggan people – women and children outside their own homes, local teenagers milling about watching what was going on.
What happened tonight was disgusting and despicable. I feel sick to my stomach.
God bless that young woman”
Several videos of last nights rioting have been posted online including one which appears to show an individual standing beside a burnt out van as the shots rung out followed by screams in the distance.
Source: South Londonderry/Randalstoen ACT initiative 
Source: South Londonderry/Randalstoen ACT initiative
Police have appealed for anyone with information on Lyra McKees killing to come forward and call police on 101.
POLITICAL REACTION
