DETECTIVES are hunting dissident republican gunmen who shot a man in the legs last night in Derry’s Brandywell area.
Police say the victim was attacked a house in the Brandywell Road.
A senior officer said the victim has been lucky to survive the attack was he described as “savage”
A number of dissident republicans were involved in the paramilitary attack.
It is understood the victim, a male in his 20s, was shot several times in the legs before the gunmen fled on foot.
The injured man was later taken by ambulance to the accident and emergency department at Altnagelvin Hospital.
Police have cordoned off the area behind Brandywell Road for a forensic examination could take place.
Chief Inspector Tony Callaghan, Derry City commander, said this was a callous incident.
“Even by the brutal standards of previous similar incidents, this was a particularly savage attack.
“Early indications are that this man has sustained particularly severe wounds with potentially life-changing injuries.
“This was not what some people call a ‘kneecapping’.
“This young man has sustained gunshot wounds to his femurs – a particularly dangerous part of the body in which to inflict gunshot wounds.
“There can be little doubt that these injuries could have killed, indeed there have been other incidents in which fatalities have occurred in similar circumstances.
“We believe that at least two gunmen were involved in the incident, which occurred in the living room of a house at Brandywell Road. The suspected gunmen made their getaway on foot.
“We would like to hear from anyone who was in the area and heard or saw anything relevant to the shooting.
“In particular we would like to trace the movements of the gunmen before and after the incident.
“If you have any information, no matter how small, please call the detectives at Strand Road on 101, or, alternately, contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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