'Sadness and shock' as murdered man named

Chrissy Burns was in his early 40s and originally from Warrenpoint in County Down

A man in his 40s who was murdered in County Armagh on Thursday has been named by police as 'Chrissy' Christopher Burns.

Emergency services found him dead at a property in Cusher Green, Mountnorris, shortly after 11:30 BST. He had serious head and facial injuries.

Originally from Warrenpoint, it is understood Mr Burns had been living in the property for a number of years.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Burns' family and loved ones at this distressing time as they try to come to terms with their tragic loss."

"Our team continues to work at pace to establish the circumstances surrounding Mr Burns' death and I would reiterate our appeal to anyone who may have information that could assist us, to contact police," he added.

Alfred Cully lives on the same street and says it was "very hard to take in" what happened

Alfred Cully lives on the same street.

He said he did not hear the police and ambulance arrive but that the neighbourhood is in shock.

"It took a good while to understand what had happened, I can tell you that. It was very hard to take in and I still find it hard to take in. I ask myself why and I can't get an answer yet."

SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty told BBC News NI that people have been "shaken by a sense of sadness and shock".

He described the area as a "small, quiet and rural village" and said that "nobody could ever have believed something like this could come to Mountnorris".

"It's a continuation of a very frightening trend that we've seen over recent weeks where 10 people have lost their lives over the last 10 weeks".

DUP councillor Gareth Wilson said that people are concerned and "want this dealt with".

"It is a concern that this type of criminality has taken place in what is a very quiet rural village."

He said that police have been "doing work in terms of reassuring neighbours that they are very actively investigating this crime".

"I would be fairly confident that the police will be able to steer these towards the courts hopefully very quickly", he added.

The man was found at a property in Cusher Green in Mountnorris on Thursday

TUV councillor Keith Ratcliffe said there had been a "sense of fear" in the area.

Ratcliffe told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster that he had spoken to police on Thursday afternoon.

"It's very sad news because unfortunately a man has lost his life there," he said.

Ratcliffe said Mountnorris is a "quiet village" with "a few housing estates, a local school and a church".

He said the murder happened at the quieter end of the Cusher Green estate "where a lot of pensioners live".

"You never hear of anything like this going on or any trouble around [the village] to be totally honest," he said.

"I was shocked when constituents contacted me yesterday."

Ratcliffe said he expected there to be a police presence in the area over the weekend.

"There was an old building on the way into the estate and there was a full forensic team in round that building doing a lot of checks," he added.

"The school I think was closed for a short time yesterday as well probably as a precaution, because obviously they didn't know what was going on."

'Tight-knit community'

Sinn Féin MLA Aoife Finnegan said the community was "understandably shocked and saddened by what has happened".

She said children were on their way to school this morning but there was a "lull in the air of sadness".

Finnegan added that the community in the area was "very tight-knit".

"I have no doubt they will rally round and support the family and friends of the victim."

Floral tributes have been left at the scene on Cusher Green

Residents cannot believe what has happened

At the scene, BBC News NI reporter Ita Dungan

I'm here at Cusher Green, one of the housing estates in the small village of Mountnorris. It's set in the rolling hills of County Armagh, outside Markethill.

There's a big green in the middle, there's a picnic table, there are football nets and houses all around.

There are a few - maybe eight or nine - small bungalows and it's here that the emergency services found the man's body.

It's been very quiet here this morning - not many up and about just yet - and a police cordon and vehicle remain outside the house.

The residents - many of whom are pensioners and young families - can't quite believe what unfolded in their quiet area.