POLICE IN NORTHERN Ireland are making a renewed appeal for witnesses one year on from the fatal shooting of Sean Fox in a busy football clubhouse in west Belfast.

Fox was murdered at around 2.55pm on Sunday, 2 October 2022 when two masked gunmen entered the Donegal Celtic Sports and Social Club on the Suffolk Road and made their way past several people. 

He was shot multiple times by both gunmen. At one point, they stood over Fox, shooting him as he collapse on the floor. 

Fox, a father of two and a regular visitor to the club, had been sat enjoying a drink in the busy function room at the time of the incident. 

“The gunmen arrived, carried out the murder and left the club in under a minute. They were inside the premises for approximately 21 seconds. They left on foot, along the Suffolk Road, in the direction of Gweedore Gardens,” PSNI Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan said. 

“This is a popular local club widely used by local families with young children. The gunmen fired 20 bullets, and we identified multiple strike marks. Anyone in that room or indeed nearby, could have been killed or seriously injured that day,” he said. 

The PSNI said the two gunmen travelled to and from Donegal Celtic Sports and Social Club on bicycles through the area of Glen Road, Gungloe Crescent, Glenveigh, Gweedore Gardens and Carigart Avenue between 2.20pm and 2.30pm on 2 October 2022. 

One of the gunmen was seen riding a light grey or silver generic, low spec model mountain bike, with a plastic bag over the seat.

He was wearing a light grey hoodie with distinctive three orange lines down the arms, dark grey bottoms, dark footwear and gloves and had a cap on under his hoodie.

He was carrying a dark black holdall, which Corrigan said he believed “contained the guns”.

The second gunman was riding a racer bike with a distinctive rear point to the saddle, which appeared to be a Fizik Arione, or a copy of this model.

It had a white handlebar, white handlebar stem, pink handlebar tape and white tyres.

He was wearing a blue hoodie, dark-coloured bottoms and footwear and light grey gloves.

“This was a calculated, planned, ruthless execution carried out in broad daylight and in front of a number of people. It was a barbaric act and one year on, the family of Mr Fox remain grief-stricken,” Corrigan said. 

He is appealing to anyone with any information to get in touch.

“Were you in the social club at the time of Sean Fox’s murder? Did you witness what happened, or did you see the two masked men arrive or leave the club?

“I would ask anyone who has any information, no matter how small or insignificant they think it might be, to come forward.

“You can contact police directly via 101, or provide information anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111, which has offered a reward of up to £20,000 for anonymous information it receives that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder.”