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| Jim Donegan: Police release school murder gunman footage | Jim Donegan: Police release school murder gunman footage |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police investigating the murder of a man outside a west Belfast school have released CCTV footage of the gunman before and after the shooting. | |
| Jim Donegan, 43, was shot in his car as he waited for his 13-year-old son near St Mary's Grammar School on Tuesday. | Jim Donegan, 43, was shot in his car as he waited for his 13-year-old son near St Mary's Grammar School on Tuesday. |
| Speaking at a news conference in Belfast on Wednesday, Det Ch Insp Peter Montgomery of the PSNI described it as a "barbaric assassination". | Speaking at a news conference in Belfast on Wednesday, Det Ch Insp Peter Montgomery of the PSNI described it as a "barbaric assassination". |
| Footage of the scene has been posted on the PSNI's website. | Footage of the scene has been posted on the PSNI's website. |
| Det Ch Insp Montgomery said the victim was a husband, a brother, a father to two sons and a stepfather. | Det Ch Insp Montgomery said the victim was a husband, a brother, a father to two sons and a stepfather. |
| "Hundreds of children were pouring out of the three schools in the Glen Road area of west Belfast at the time - many of them witnessing the assassination of the father of two," he said. | "Hundreds of children were pouring out of the three schools in the Glen Road area of west Belfast at the time - many of them witnessing the assassination of the father of two," he said. |
| "Jim's son was spared from this thankfully but only by a few seconds. | "Jim's son was spared from this thankfully but only by a few seconds. |
| "Mums, dads, grandparents, young siblings and people in the community also saw the brutal slaying. | "Mums, dads, grandparents, young siblings and people in the community also saw the brutal slaying. |
| "The callous actions of the gunman will have catastrophic psychological effects on them all." | "The callous actions of the gunman will have catastrophic psychological effects on them all." |
| 'Utter madness' | 'Utter madness' |
| Det Ch Insp Montgomery said the gunman walked past the children and fired eight times. | Det Ch Insp Montgomery said the gunman walked past the children and fired eight times. |
| That was "utter madness" as, in the circumstances, there could easily have been a ricochet resulting in multiple deaths. | That was "utter madness" as, in the circumstances, there could easily have been a ricochet resulting in multiple deaths. |
| The shooter was wearing a hi-vis yellow jacket with "Security" printed on the back and was carrying a dark bag. | The shooter was wearing a hi-vis yellow jacket with "Security" printed on the back and was carrying a dark bag. |
| Police believe the gun was in the bag. He walked from a lane, past parents and children. | Police believe the gun was in the bag. He walked from a lane, past parents and children. |
| After the murder, he ran back up Glen Road and along the lane on to Clonelly Avenue. | After the murder, he ran back up Glen Road and along the lane on to Clonelly Avenue. |
| The detective thanked people in the community who had helped them and appealed for more information or dashcam footage. | The detective thanked people in the community who had helped them and appealed for more information or dashcam footage. |
| Speaking on Wednesday morning, the school's interim principal Fiona Crookes said pupils "had to walk past the scene" of the shooting. | Speaking on Wednesday morning, the school's interim principal Fiona Crookes said pupils "had to walk past the scene" of the shooting. |
| St Mary's Grammar was closed on Wednesday. | St Mary's Grammar was closed on Wednesday. |
| Mrs Crookes told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme: "Our primary concern at that stage was that they wouldn't see what we had to see." | Mrs Crookes told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme: "Our primary concern at that stage was that they wouldn't see what we had to see." |
| Mr Donegan's son soon became "our priority" as he walked down the lane to meet his father, she added. | Mr Donegan's son soon became "our priority" as he walked down the lane to meet his father, she added. |
| Pupils will be offered counselling when the school reopens on Thursday. | Pupils will be offered counselling when the school reopens on Thursday. |