Journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead in Northern Ireland on Thursday evening in what police are calling a “terrorist incident,” BBC News reports. Dissident Republicans were rioting in Derry—reportedly in response to police searches in the city’s Creggan area—when she was fatally shot. “Sadly I can confirm that following shots being fired tonight in Creggan, a 29 year old woman has been killed,” Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton wrote in a tweet. “We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry.” In addition to the rioters and police exchanging gunfire, the protesters also reportedly threw petrol bombs at police vehicles. Journalists on Twitter have identified the deceased woman as McKee, who tweeted a photo from the scene earlier Thursday night. According to The Guardian, the unrest comes ahead of when Republicans commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising—an insurrection waged by the Irish to end British rule.
ACC Mark Hamilton said: “Sadly I can confirm that following shots being fired tonight in Creggan, a 29 year old woman has been killed. We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry.”
