Northern Ireland: £150k reward offered over shooting of police officer – as CCTV of car released

Police investigating the attempted murder of an officer in Northern Ireland have released CCTV footage of a car used in the shooting – as a charity offered a £150,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot multiple times by two gunmen just before 8pm on 22 February after a football training session at a sports centre in Omagh, County Tyrone.

The attack took place in front of his young son and other children who had attended the coaching session.

The police officer remains in a critical but stable condition.

Days after the shooting, police released footage of a blue Ford Fiesta with the registration number MGZ 6242 which was then fitted with false plates, FRZ 8414, prior to the attack.

Police have now released more footage of this vehicle while also saying they believe a second blue Ford Fiesta was used in the shooting.

Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan said: “I am now in a position to say that I believe a second Ford Fiesta was used in the attempted murder of DCI Caldwell.

“It is also a blue Ford Fiesta of a similar model.

“This second car had the registration number RLZ 9805 and was bought in Glengormley towards the end of January. I believe this car travelled to Belfast around this date.”

DCS Corrigan said the vehicle was then driven from Belfast at around 1pm on the day of the shooting and travelled along the M1 in the direction of Coalisland and Omagh.

It was found burned out in the Ardboe Industrial Estate in Dungannon the following day, Thursday 23 February.

DCS Corrigan added he would like to know where the vehicle was stored and its movements between the afternoon of the 22nd and when it was found destroyed the following day.

Meanwhile, police released new CCTV footage of the first blue Ford Fiesta as it travelled into Coalisland at around 10pm on the night before the attack.

“Previous CCTV footage issued shows this blue Ford Fiesta leaving the sports complex and turning left onto the Killyclogher Road immediately after the shooting. We then know it travelled past Glendale Service Station to the Racolpa Road where it was abandoned and set on fire,” DCS Corrigan said.

He added that this first Ford Fiesta was purchased in Ballyclare on Wednesday 8 February and was seen travelling towards Belfast on the M2 Motorway that night.

It is known to have left Belfast at around 9.30pm on Tuesday 21 February, the night before the shooting, before travelling along the M1 Motorway into Coalisland at around 10pm.

DCS Corrigan has appealed to anyone who knows where either of these two cars were kept prior to the shooting or has knowledge of their movements on the day of the attack to come forward.

Officers have so far arrested eight men aged between 22 and 71 in the investigation and all have been released after questioning.

The police are treating the attack as terror-related and their main line of inquiry is that it was carried out by the New IRA republican dissident group.

Meanwhile, the Crimestoppers Trust has increased its reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction to £150,000.

Crimestoppers director of operations Mark Duthrie announced the increase at PSNI headquarters.

He said: “We want those responsible for the shooting to be brought to justice.

“Today I want to announce that through the generosity of anonymous donors from Northern Ireland we are now increasing our reward for information leading to arrest and conviction up to a total of £150,000.

“This is one of the highest rewards the charity has ever offered.”