NI: Youth survives jammed gun attack

A youth survived a gun attack when the weapon jammed, police said today.

The gunman – his face covered by a scarf – approached a group of youths in the Somerset Drive area of Coleraine, Co Derry last night, pointed a handgun at one of the youths and pulled the trigger.

The gun is thought to have either jammed or misfired. Police said the gunman pointed the weapon at a number of the other youths before running off.

A sectarian motive for the incident is being investigated by police.

Sinn Féin local councillor Billy Leonard said he had no doubt that the incident was sectarian and the work of loyalists.

He said: “Some of the people ran immediately but one of the group froze just momentarily and as the gunman took aim at this person the gun jammed.

“It is likely we were this close to injury or indeed death.

“We are taking this as a very serious incident, one which is more than a scare tactic and local people would be very confident it was the work of loyalist paramilitaries."