Four Arrested in Gay Journalist's Killing in Northern Ireland

Lyra McKee via Facebook

The four men are being questioned in connection with last year's fatal shooting of journalist Lyra McKee.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

February 11 2020 12:54 PM EST

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Four men have been arrested in connection with last year's fatal shooting of gay journalist Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland.

McKee, who often reported on conflicts in the nation over its relationship with the United Kingdom, was shot to death last April during a disturbance in Londonderry (also known as Derry). She was standing near a police vehicle at the time. A group called the New IRA, which favors independence from the U.K., admitted responsibility for her death and claimed it was an accident.

The men, aged 20, 27, 29 and 52, were taken into police custody in Belfast for questioning Tuesday under the Terrorism Act, which applied in their case because of the IRA connection, CNN reports. Their names have not been released, and charges against them have not been announced.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland appealed to the public for further information about the killing. "I have always believed that some people within the community know what happened and who was involved," said the senior investigating officer, Det. Supt. Jason Murphy. Police also asked for mobile phone video of the incident.

McKee, who was 29 at the time of her death, had worked for several publications, including Mediagazer and The Sunday Long Read. She was the first journalist killed in the U.K. since 2001.