POLICE IN NORTHERN Ireland are appealing for witnesses following a gun attack at the offices of Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan. 

A report made to the PSNI stated that a number of shots had been fired at the west Belfast building by a masked gunman on Thursday 3 January just before 2.20am. 

Bullet casings were found by staff outside the constituency office at Monagh Crescent in Ballymurphy on Monday 7 January. 

Police have since recovered the bullet casings from outside the offices, which were taken away for further examination. 

“This was a reckless attack in what is a built-up residential area. Someone could easily have been injured, or worse, by a stray bullet,” Detective Sergeant Sam McCallum said. 

Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan points to a mark made by a bullet during a gun attack on their constituency office. PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

Commenting on the gun attack, Sheehan said that his party “will not be intimidated from providing constituency services and representation to the people of Turf Lodge and the Upper Springfield” by those behind a gun attack on his office.

Local people then told us yesterday that they had heard what sounded like shots being fired last week. We checked the CCTV footage at the office and confirmed to police that shots had indeed been fired.

“We have lived through years of attacks on our members and our offices by loyalists and state forces and Sinn Féin will not be intimidated or deterred by those responsible for this latest attack from providing services without prejudice to all the people of these communities,” Sheehan said in a statement. 

The PSNI are now appealing to anyone who was in the Monagh Crescent area around 2am at the time the incident occurred last Thursday morning to come forward. 

Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 367 08/01/19.