Reaction: Man in 30s shot in north Belfast by masked man - 'appalling that a man has been shot in the back and has sustained serious injuries'

Detective Sergeant Dougherty said: "It was reported shortly before 12:20am that a man, aged in his thirties, had been shot in the back in the Westland Way area. He was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

"A suspect, described as slim and dressed all in dark clothing with a mask on and a hood drawn tight over his face, is believed to have fled the area on foot in the direction of Westland Road."

In a statement DUP MLA Brian Kingston condemned the shooting incident at Westland Way in the early hours of this morning.

"It is appalling that a man has been shot in the back and has sustained serious injuries, in an incident which the police are treating as attempted murder," he said. "I condemn this shooting without equivocation.

"My thoughts are with the victim and his family circle.

"Any incident in which guns are used on our streets is reckless and deeply upsetting for the entire local community. Those responsible must be brought to justice. I appeal to anyone who can assist the police investigation to bring forward any information that they may have.”

Police said that enquiries into this incident are ongoing - and appealed to anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything or who may have dashcam or other footage, to contact them on 101 quoting reference 22 of 24/5/22."

"Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/," adds the PSNI spokesman.