Speaking following reports that a teenager was shot in the leg in the Bogside area of Derry, SDLP Leader and Foyle MLA Colum Eastwood condemned the attack.
He said: “Enough is enough. These brutal attacks must stop.
“These thugs must be found and brought to justice. They cannot take the law into their own hands under any circumstances.
“These actions achieve nothing but cause pain, destruction and fear – not only to the victims directly involved but to families living here in the Bogside.
“Fear and violence didn’t work in the past it won’t work now. With an upsurge in these types of attacks across the City in recent times, I have sought an urgent meeting with the PSNI and I will be working with community and council partners to make our communities safe.
“I urge anyone with any information to go directly to the PSNI. If we want to catch these people, as a community we need to give information to the police. Derry will not be tolerant of criminals who attack teenagers. We must unite in our condemnation.”
The Chair of the Derry and Strabane Policing and Community Safety Partnership, Alderman Drew Thompson, also condemned the attack.
Speaking after the incident Alderman Thompson stated: "These assaults must be condemned by all members of our community. The shooting of the 17-year-old child at his home cannot and should not be justified.
“The criminal gang that carried out the shooting have no concern for people living in the area and no matter what rationale is put forward for this attack it has no place in our society. I would appeal to anyone with information on the shooting to contact the police or Crimestoppers immediately.”
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