A man has been shot four times in the leg in a suspected so-called punishment shooting in Derry on Thursday night.
The 28-year-old was found with the gunshot wounds to his right leg in the Bligh’s Lane area of the city around 6pm.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland appealed to the public for information about the shooting.
Sinn Féin and rival nationalist SDLP both condemned those behind the attack.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Patricia Logue said there could be no justification for the attack.
“This must have been a very frightening experience for everyone caught up in this, especially as it’s reported that a number of young children were in the vicinity at the time of the shooting,” she said.
“It’s very sad that when thousands of people were out tonight celebrating the turning on of the Christmas lights in the city centre that others were trying to drag our society backwards and bringing guns onto our streets.
“We are in a new era, we are creating a new society for the younger generation and there can be no place for this type of activity.”
Former Derry lord mayor Pat Ramsey described those behind the latest “punishment attack” in the city as “human rights abusers”.
Ramsey, a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, added: “This is an horrific incident for which there can be no excuse. It is completely unacceptable and will be condemned by the whole community.”
Meanwhile a number of homes have been evacuated in Dungannon, County Tyrone on Thursday evening following a suspected bomb alert.
A suspect device was found in the Anne Street area and army bomb disposal experts have been called to the scene.
A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said residents in the district have been taken to Dungannon Leisure Centre to stay the night while army bomb disposal officers deal with the device.
