POLICE in Belfast have released CCTV footage of a gunman who killed a father waiting to pick his 13-year-old son up from school.
James Donegan, known as Jim, died after the gunman fired eight times as the father was sat in his car on the Glen Road at around 3.15pm on Tuesday.
Police say many schoolchildren witnessed the murder and it is only through luck the incident didn’t result in multiple fatalities.
The 43-year-old victim’s son was only spared the sight by a few seconds.
As the PSNI released CCTV footage of the suspect, they warned the shooting could have catastrophic psychological effects on the witnesses.
“Jim was a husband, a brother, a father to two sons and a stepfather,” said Detective Chief Inspector Pete Montgomery.
“Yesterday, as the school bell was ringing, a lone gunman shot Jim as he sat in his car waiting to pick up his 13-year old-son.
“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.
“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.
“The callous actions of the gunman will have catastrophic psychological effects on them all.
'Nightmares'
“Children who moments before were no doubt enjoying Christmas activities in class, maybe practising for their Christmas concert or school nativity, will no longer be dreaming about Santa or presents.
“Instead they will be having nightmares about a murder in broad daylight outside their school. A place which should be a safe haven to learn and grow.
“The gunman walked past these children and fired a weapon eight times.
“It is utter madness as any one of these bullets could have ricocheted and having been at the scene I cannot emphasise enough that it is sheer luck I am not investigating multiple fatalities.”
CCTV footage from before and after the shooting shows the gunman wearing a hi-vis, hip-length yellow jacket with ‘Security’ written on the back, dark bottoms, a grey coloured hat or hood and carrying a black or dark bag over his shoulder.
He emerged from a lane in Clonelly Avenue onto the Glen Road at around 3.10pm, before running back the same way two minutes after the shooting.
The victim was sat outside St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School in a red Porsche Panamera, registration JDZ34.
Police have asked anyone with information or who has dashcam footage from the area to contact detectives in Musgrave Street on 101.
See More: Belfast, Jim Donegan, Shooting, West Belfast
