THE FAMILY of the pizza delivery driver shot dead in Derry in the early hours of Tuesday morning made an emotional appeal yesterday for no retaliation.
Emmett Shiels (22), from Tyrconnell Street in the Bogside, was gunned down in the Bligh's Lane area of Creggan as he attempted to intervene on behalf of a group of youths who were being threatened by five masked men, several of whom were armed with guns and iron bars.
Mr Shiels, who was described by the police as an innocent victim, was shot once in the lower chest. Detectives investigating his murder believe the masked gang were members of the INLA.
Yesterday, Mr Shiel's foster father, Patsy Moore, wept during a press conference as he appealed for those responsible for the murder to come forward.
"We do not want any retaliation, we do not want revenge. We do not any other family to suffer as we are suffering today. Today we are a family in mourning. We are in deep sorrow over the loss of Emmett. This is a terrible tragedy which has been visited upon our family and we are finding it difficult to come to terms with his murder.
"The sad reality is this death should not have occurred. This was not a case of mistaken identity but a deliberate act and we are calling on anyone with any information to bring it forward to the police, to a priest or to a councillor, so that those who carried out this murder are held responsible," he said.
Mr Moore also thanked the police, the ambulance service and the people of Creggan for the support they continued to give to his family.
Meanwhile, the detective leading the PSNI investigation into the murder said there had been an overwhelming response from the Creggan community.
Det Chief Insp Frankie Taylor confirmed that two men who had voluntarily gone to the police were still being questioned.
"We still need more information if we are to find Mr Shiel's killers. We are looking for a number of individuals in particular. They know who they are, we know who they are, but when we called at their homes they were not in," he said.