Alliance Leader Naomi Long MLA has said she is “utterly shocked” after journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead by dissident republicans during violence in Derry-Londonderry.

Police have said the ‘New IRA’ are likely behind the incident, which came during rioting in the Creggan area. The 29-year-old was shot at the scene and later died in hospital.

“I am utterly shocked to hear this news and feel devastated for Lyra’s partner, family, friends and loved ones,” said Mrs Long.

“They are going to have to live with this loss, their grief and pain for the rest of their lives, while those who carried it out will walk away without feeling, as they do not care they have ended a young woman’s life while putting at risk many others.

“They are enemies of the entire community, with nothing to offer but more pain and misery. While they may feel they have done some good to their cause, in reality they have no interest in the people of the city or their future, only in themselves. If they had, they would never bring a gun onto the streets of a residential area.

“Many of us have lived through the cycle of violence in the past and nobody wants to see that return. It is now crucial everyone in the community pull together with police in order to bring the people responsible for this killing to justice, so we never again see a repeat of it.”