Police have confirmed the name of the man murdered in Newry on Thursday, December 1.
He was 58-year-old Mark Lovell.
He was shot a number of times, at close range, outside his home in the Ardcarn Park area of the city shortly after 6pm.
Detectives from the Police Service Major Investigation Team have launched a murder investigation and are continuing to appeal for witnesses or anyone with information or footage to get in touch by calling 101, quoting reference 1600 01/12/22.
Speaking on Friday, Superintendent Norman Haslett described it as “a brutal and senseless attack on a defenceless man”.
He added: “We believe those responsible went to great lengths to plan this attack and they lay in wait for their victim to come home and they essentially ambushed him and executed him.
“The victim was a husband, he was a father and he was a son and he was shot multiple times at close range. The levels of violence used was reprehensible particularly given the time of day; tea time on a weeknight in a busy residential area of Newry where people were coming home from their work and children and families going about their business on the run up to Christmas.
“It was beyond reckless. Any child, or family member or neighbour could have easily been caught up in the gun fire. Indeed, after the attack the victim’s car crashed into a nearby property. Those responsible had no thought whatsoever for the victim, for his family, or the local community. They have no moral compass and I would condemn their actions in the strongest possible terms.
“They have left a grieving family in the mouth of Christmas, they have left a community in shock at this time.”
