Detectives investigating the murder of a man in north Belfast yesterday have said they believe the victim may be 36 year old Robbie Lawlor from Coolock in the Republic of Ireland.
Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said:
“Whilst formal identification has not yet taken place, sufficient information exists for us to believe that the deceased male may be Robbie Lawlor.
“At this stage I believe that a single gunman was involved in the killing, firing multiple shots at the victim and striking him a number of times. The murder weapon has not yet been recovered.
“Four males aged 33, 30, 27 and 17 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently being questioned in the Serious Crime Suite in Musgrave police station in Belfast.
“Two properties, one in west Belfast and one in Crumlin were also searched as part of this murder enquiry.
“I do not believe that Robbie was in the Ardoyne yesterday by accident. I believe he had some reason to be there and key lines of enquiry for me at this stage are to establish why he was there and what his connection to the address is.
“This was a brutal killing and I am appealing for the public’s help to bring the gunman to justice. I would like to hear from anyone who was in Etna Drive yesterday, between 11am and 12.30pm, and who may have witnessed the shooting or the gunman making his escape.
“I’m also keen to speak to anyone who can help us trace the movements of a VW Scirocco car, registration YLZ 7052. I believe it was in Estoril Park on Friday and was burnt out in Kingston Court immediately after the murder yesterday.”
Please call 101 with any information.
Anyone who has CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage recorded in the area of Etna Drive and Kingston Court is also asked to make it available to my investigation team. You can do that by uploading it to Major Incident Public Portal, which can be accessed from any device with internet access. Go to www.MIPP.police.uk “
