https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6938563/Woman-29-shot-dead-terrorist-incident-Londonderry.html

Female journalist, 29, shot dead 'in terrorist incident by the New IRA' on a night of violent rioting in Londonderry.

Female journalist Lyra McKee, 29, was shot dead in Creggan, Londonderry, last night while covering riots.

Suspected dissident republican terrorist opened fire indiscriminately and victim believed hit by stray bullet.

Friends who confirmed her death to MailOnline this morning described the woman as 'utterly irreplaceable'.

Her killing spread a wave of revulsion across Northern Ireland with politicians on all sides condemning it.

The reporter headed to Creggan after rioting broke out following police raids on homes in the area yesterday .

By George Martin and Joel Adams For Mailonline

Published: 00:49, 19 April 2019 | Updated: 09:07, 19 April 2019

Dissident republicans have been blamed by police for the murder of a female journalist who was shot dead while covering a riot in Londonderry last night.

Lyra McKee, 29, is believed to have been hit by a stray bullet after a gunman opened fire indiscriminately towards a crowd of police officers and bystanders at around 11pm, in what is now being investigated as a 'terrorist incident'.

Northern Irish police revealed this morning that they believe the New IRA was 'most likely' behind the killing, calling Ms McKee a 'completely innocent bystander'.

Moments before her death, Ms McKee had posted an image from the scene of the riots on Twitter showing smoke rising into the air above emergency service vehicles, along with the caption: 'Derry tonight. Absolute madness.'

Shocking footage posted to social media shows a masked man taking cover near the rioters while holding a handgun, before firing two shots. Seconds later screams are heard coming from the other end of the road.

The journalist had extensively covered the legacy of the Troubles, and spoke of being segregated from Protestants while growing up on Belfast's 'Murder Mile', a road notorious for the high number of locals killed by Ulster loyalists.

Speaking about the shock of Ms McKee's death, close friend Matthew Hughes, 27, told MailOnline: 'The loss her friends feel is unquantifiable. Unfathomable. She is utterly irreplaceable.'

Rioting had erupted following a raid by police, who said they were trying to prevent militant attacks planned for Easter weekend, a time when dissidents are traditionally active due to the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton said more than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at police during the riots as he described the killing as 'not only a murder of a young woman, it is an attack again on the people of this city'.

He then pointed the finger at the New IRA, an amalgamation of dissident republican factions in the city, which was blamed for a car bombing in Bishop Street in January, as he called for calm in the city ahead of Easter.