A SUSPECTED rapist who remains unlawfully at large following his accidental release by prison authorities is among three men wanted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in connection with the murder of a man in south Down.
Dmytro Grytsunov (29), a Ukrainian national, died some hours after he was hit in the chest by a shotgun blast following violent disturbances in Kilkeel on Saturday.
The PSNI last night issued the names of three men whom they want to question in connection with the murder.
They are Devidas Paliutas, Darius Brazas and Ernestas Rudeckas, and police have warned the public not to approach them.
Mr Paliutas was mistakenly released last September when holding charges against him were withdrawn.
However, other charges had been substituted and he should have faced a Crown Court trial but was freed.
The PSNI said last night: “Members of the public who believe that they have seen these men or who know of their current whereabouts should contact police immediately.”
Detectives are continuing to investigate incidents which preceded the murder in the Co Down village.
Disturbances began in the Haywood Way area of the fishing town at about 9pm where a house was attacked.
The focus then moved to the nearby Rooney Park area about an hour later where two shots were fired. The attackers then fled the scene.
Mr Grytsunov suffered a fatal chest wound in what is believed to have been a row between two groups of foreign nationals.
The police service is continuing to question a 32-year-old woman in connection with the case. Detectives believe they have recovered a firearm and ammunition which may have been used in the shooting.
Three men have been questioned and subsequently released. One was treated in hospital for shotgun wounds to his leg.
Officers from the PSNI’s serious crime branch said the murdered man’s next of kin had been informed.
The police have appealed for anyone with information on the shooting to come forward.