Enhanced Police Presence After Linked Shootings in Woodvale and Ainsworth Areas

We want to update our community regarding two alarming and serious incidents that took place recently in the Woodvale and Ainsworth Street areas. Police are treating two separate shooting incidents, which occurred on consecutive nights, as linked.

The first incident took place on Friday, December 19, at approximately 9:20 pm, when four shots were fired through the window of a residential property on Woodvale Avenue.

The following evening, Saturday, December 20, at around 7:45 pm, officers were called to Ainsworth Street after shots were fired through the front window of a home. Worryingly, a young child was present in the property at the time of the attack.

Incredibly, nobody was injured in either attack. Detective Inspector McAnee stressed that those responsible demonstrated an “astonishing level of recklessness and a complete disregard for human life,” noting that it was only “by sheer luck” that no one was killed or seriously hurt.

Police are treating these attacks with the utmost seriousness. Detectives are actively pursuing several lines of enquiry and the public should expect to see an enhanced police presence across the area in the coming days as the investigation continues.

We urge anyone in the community who might have information, or relevant dashcam, CCTV, or doorbell footage that could assist the investigation, to come forward immediately. You can contact the police on 101, quoting reference 1318 19/12/25. Alternatively, information can be submitted online via the PSNI website, or anonymously through the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.