TWO MEN have been hospitalised after a 'reckless' shooting incident which took place last night in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have reported that an attempted assault on a man by a group of people led to one of the suspects in the assault accidentally shooting himself in the stomach.
It appears that the suspect sustained the wound when he fell on his own gun while chasing a man in the Forkhill area of South Armagh.
In a statement, Detective Inspector Handley said: "Shortly before 6:20pm, we received a report that a number of men, possibly up to four, arrived by vehicle in Park Urney in Forkhill and attacked a parked car.
"The male occupant of this vehicle, aged 54, managed to get out but, as he attempted to run away, he was assaulted. We believe he may have been struck on the head with a firearm, and subsequently sustained minor cuts to his head.
"As he continued to run away, he was chased by his attackers. One of the suspects, aged 37, is reported to have fallen and sustained a gunshot wound to his stomach."
The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital in a blue Honda Accord, which dropped him outside the doors before speeding off. The car was later found burnt out in the nearby town of Newry.
The suspect remains in hospital after undergoing surgery, and his condition is described as 'critical but stable'. The man who sustained head injuries has since been released.
Detective Handley condemned the "reckless series of events" and said it is "only by sheer luck that we are not dealing with a tragic situation today".
The PSNI are "working to establish a motive for what occurred" and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward by calling the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1628 or 15/10/19.
