THE PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER who was shot during the riots in East Belfast last night has told TheJournal.ie: I hope to make a full recovery.

Niall Carson, who works for the Press Association news agency, was shot in the leg while photographing the violence in Belfast. He underwent minor surgery on his injury this morning at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He said:

I’ve been discharged and hope to make a full recovery.

The attack on the photographer has been condemned by the National Union of Journalists. In a statement, the NUJ’s Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said the shooting in Belfast was an attack on the media in Northern Ireland and “an extremely worrying development”. NUJ executive council member Bob Miller said journalists throughout Northern Ireland were “shocked” by the attack.

Carson, whose work regularly features on TheJournal.ie, was standing near PSNI landrovers when he was hit by a bullet. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay told the BBC that he thought the shooters may have been targeting police. Another press photographer told how one man with a gun shot several rounds into the area where they were standing. He said:

We were all just running. The next thing I know a colleague of mine (Niall), he yells, ‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot’.

Our report on the second night of rioting, along with pictures Niall took shortly before being shot, is here.

TheJournal.ie wishes Niall a speedy recovery from his injuries. This is just a small selection of his award-winning and nominated photographs: