Gun attack was 'terrifying'
The man targetted in a gun attack on a house in Creggan on Monday night has admitted that he was involved in the drugs trade but insists that he had now given it up.
The Creggan man, who asked not to be identified, said he decided to stop dealing in drugs after four masked gunmen smashed their way into his home in Dunmore Gardens on Monday and fired two shots at his brother. No one was injured in the incident.
Vigilante group RAAD who have claimed responsibility for the shooting said the man has been given ample opportunity to stop dealing but has refused.
They claimed that on Monday night a volunteer had to discharge a weapon to protect himself. They say that despite media reports to the contrary only one round was discharged.
"Only for the presence of his mother he would have received community justice," RAAD said. "He will receive no more warnings."
The man told the 'Journal' that he had been selling cannabis and that he has previous convictions for possession and cultivation of drugs.
He also claimed that he received two written warnings from the PSNI in recent months informing that dissident republicans and vigilante group RAAD were planning to shoot him but that he ignored the warnings and continued to sell drugs.
The man, who was released from prison earlier this year, said; "I did sell a bit of cannabis and I have convictions for drugs in the past. I was warned and I ignored those warnings and kept on dealing. But after what happened on Monday night I have now stopped and will not be dealing in drugs ever again," he said.
Describing what happened on the night of the shooting, the man said; "I was in the house with my friend, my mother, and my brother. My friend looked out the window and saw four men with guns and masks coming toward the house and they kicked the door in and ran in. Some of then ran up the stairs and pointed guns at my brother, who was using a computer at the time. They then fired two shots into the floor before leaving. It was a terrifying experience and it has made me stop dealing drugs," he said.
The man also had a message for anyone else who has been warned over selling drugs.
"If anyone else has got a warning they should take heed of it and stop what they're doing. I ignored the warnings and almost got shot," he said.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Derry
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
