Police in Derry are investigating the murder of a man following an incident in a bar in the city.
Officers were summoned to a bar on the Dungiven Road in the Waterside area at around 7 p.m. yesterday after a fight broke out. The 47-year-old victim received serious head injuries during the incident. He died later in hospital. Police are questioning three men in connection with the incident.
However it is understood that they do not believe the motive for the attack was sectarian or paramilitary related. Detectives have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Nationalist SDLP counsellor Martin Reilly, who visited the scene of the murder, expressed his sympathy for the victim's family. He said: "At this stage we are waiting for the full details to emerge. "However, our thoughts immediately go to the dead man's family.
"To lose someone in the run-up to Christmas is a terrible tragedy. "We would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed this incidence to help police with their investigation."
Locals said the man's body was found at the back of the bar on the Dungiven Road. It is understood he was drinking earlier in the bar. "It is a terrible tragedy," a man who did not want to be identified said. "I don't think anybody could have expected something like this to happen."