Watchdog to investigate police checkpoint shooting

Northern Ireland’s Police Ombudsman was today called in to investigate an incident in which a police officer fired a shot at a car.

Two officers and a passenger in the car were injured after the vehicle failed to stop at two checkpoints at Sugar Island in Newry, Co Down.

The incident began at around 3.30am when the car, a black Toyota MR2, struck one officer on the hand at a vehicle checkpoint.

A short time later a second officer was struck on the leg as police again tried to stop the vehicle.

After police fired a warning shot a man got out of the passenger side of the car before it sped off.

The man was taken to hospital suffering from a head injury, which was not thought to be life threatening or to have been caused by the shot.