Jim Guiney was not a name with which journalists in Northern Ireland were familiar, but he was well known in loyalist circles in south Belfast. Mr Guiney (38) was married with four children. Friends last night said he was devoted to his family.
He had opened a carpet business at Kingsway in Dunmurry about two years ago. The area is near several nationalist estates. His cousin, a former Ulster Unionist councillor, Mr Freddie Parkinson, said Mr Guiney was concerned for his safety: however, there appeared to be no security measures in place at his shop yesterday. Other traders said he had never seemed particularly concerned with personal protection and went about his business normally every day.
He lived in Milltown in Derriaghy. Police and loyalist sources claimed he was a UDA commander in south Belfast. However, there was no formal statement from the UDA. Mr Guiney supported the Ulster Democratic Party, the UDA's political wing, in last year's elections. The UDP leader, Mr Gary McMichael, said he had offered help but had never been a formal party member.
He was a close friend of both Mr McMichael and the UDP's press officer, Mr Davy Adams, who described the killing as a tragedy. "Jim was a soft target. He worked long and hard for his family."