£20,000 offered for information about ‘ruthless’ attempted murder bid

A reward of up to £20,000 has been offered for information about the “ruthless” attempted murder of a man in west Belfast one year ago.

The man, aged 49 at the time of the incident, was shot as he sat in a white Skoda Octavia taxi in the Bell Steel Manor area of Dunmurry on February 23.

Police have released an image of the scene, including the taxi, to back the appeal.

Detective Inspector Gina Quinn described the incident as a “ruthless and targeted attack”.

“The attack, which took place on a Sunday morning, February 23 in 2025, was a ruthless and targeted attack with one intention – to take a man’s life,” she said.

“It took place in broad daylight, in a busy area of west Belfast, where any passer-by could also have been seriously injured or killed.

“Today, I am releasing an image that shows that scene, along with the victim’s vehicle.

“We believe that two gunmen approached the taxi, on foot, from a path that runs between the Glenwood and Laurelbank areas. One male was in dark clothing, while the second was wearing a hi-vis yellow jacket. A number of shots were fired at the victim. This was at approximately 10.25am.

“The two then made off on foot, via the same path, crossing the Stewartstown Road and entering the Glasvey area. At this stage, the hi-vis jacket has been removed. They then crossed the Twinbrook Road, before entering the Gardenmore Road area just before 10.40am.”

She said they are also sharing a picture of a jacket they believe was worn by one of the gunmen.

“From subsequent searches in the Glasvey area, we recovered a number of items, including firearms, a baseball cap and, what we believe, is the jacket worn by one of the gunmen,” she said.

“It’s now one year on, but please be assured that our determination to bring those responsible to justice remains steadfast.

“This was a planned and shocking act of cold-blooded criminality, and one which has absolutely no place in today’s society.

“I am taking this opportunity to reiterate our appeal to anyone with information, or who may have seen or captured footage of the attack or those movements before or after the attack, to do the right thing and contact detectives on 101.”

Crimestoppers, which can be contacted with total anonymity, is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information received directly that leads to the arrest and conviction of any person or people linked to the attempted murder.

The charity can be contacted on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.