Dan Murray murder: Murder victim lured by phone-box takeaway caller

A bogus call made to order a Chinese takeaway, to be delivered by murder victim Dan Murray, came from a public telephone box, the police believe.

Mr Murray was taking the food to Lady Street in west Belfast, when he was shot dead at about 22:15 BST on Monday.

It is thought the call was made from a phone box on the junction of the Antrim Road and Cliftonville road in the city.

Mr Murray was shot in his car on Lady Street in west Belfast

Mr Murray's partner, Ciara Austin, said his killers were cowards.

She said: "I was working on the desk (at the Chinese takeaway) and took the phone call and he knew it wasn't an address that he usually goes to."

"He says to me 'Ciara, I don't usually do this one but I will take it anyway'.

Cowards

"He was set-up, it is the only way they could have got him, they have tried time and time again.

"Cowards, cowards, they had to set him up, come up behind him and shoot him in the car."

Ms Austin said no-one was standing up to those responsible for the killing.

"Everybody knows who is doing it, the dogs in the street know who is behind it and nobody is standing up to them," she added.

Forensic officers are carrying out investigations in the aftermath of the murder

"They are getting away with it.

"It is not fair, somebody has to do something, I never ever thought a year ago I would be sitting in this position."

She also denied any allegations that her partner had been dealing in drugs.

"He has never been convicted of drugs, doesn't have a drugs charge, there is nothing on his record," she said.

"This is the rumour mill trying to justify what they have done, trying to justify killing my partner and the father of my son."

Motivation

Supt John Roberts said the murder was "horrific".

The police are appealing for information about the shooting and have said it is too early to comment on a motivation for the murder.

The shooting was the third to take place in the city within 24 hours.

A teenager was shot in north Belfast about three hours before Mr Murray's killing and a man in his 20s was shot in an alleyway in north Belfast in the early hours of Monday.