Ricky Mailey with his partner. He is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot in the stomach
Richard ‘Ricky’ Mailey is the intensive care unit in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where his condition is described as “critical but stable”
The 24-year-old was admitted with a bullet wound to his abdomen.
The incident is believed to have happened at around 1.30 am on Saturday morning in the New Lodge Road area.
He was found by paramedics around 1.30 am on Saturday morning lying in the street and bleeding heavily from his stomach.
According to a report in today’s Sunday Life, republican sources were quoted as saying that the shooting was not paramilitary related.
And the same sources were quoted as saying that the shooting may have been “accidental”.
Detective Sergeant Corrigan of the PSN’s Criminal Investigation Branch said: “We are currently working to establish the exact circumstances of this incident.
“I would appeal to anyone who was in this area, around 1.30 am and saw what happened, to get in touch with us on the 101 number.”
Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555 111.
Mailey’s dad Stephen Irwin was one of four UFF killers jailed for life for the 1993 Hallowe’en sectarian gun attack on the Rising Sun bar in Greysteel.
Seven people — including two women — were callously murdered in the outrage.
Another man died six months later and a further eight people were injured.
