PEOPLE living near the spot where a man was shot have told how they woke up to see police combing the streets.
A 23-year-old was seriously injured in the incident in St Ann's at 9.30pm on Tuesday.
It is believed he was hit while driving a van in the area of Woodborough Road and Alfred Street North. Police cordoned off an area in Alfred Street North and around the Asiana Hypermarket (Oriental Foods importer) in Woodborough Road. This was lifted at about 3pm yesterday but police then closed off and began searching an area around Ellis Court.
People living in the area said officers were also searching Hartwell Street.
A woman living in nearby Abbotsford Drive, who asked not to be named, said: "It's all taped off nearby and Peas Hill Road is taped off and the police have been watching it all afternoon.
"It makes me a bit nervous, but it's just one of those things. They said the man is seriously ill but I never heard anything around that time.
"It's been very quiet in the area until now."
Last night police said the injured man was in a stable condition at the Queen's Medical Centre, but have not revealed where on his body he was shot.
However, they did say he had been hit with shotgun pellets.
A spokesman said the van the man was in at the time he was shot has been found.
Another woman living in Abbotsford Drive, who asked not to be named, added: "I saw a couple of police out there last night and then when I woke up this morning there were more of them – cars, vans, lots of police everywhere and they started cordoning off places.
"It doesn't make me feel unsafe, it just makes me sad because this is not a bad place – I've lived here for years and never had a problem. When it is this close to you it does make you wonder but the older people around here look out for each other. But I was shocked to hear what had happened."
Police have stepped up patrols in the area.
Anyone in Peas Hill Road or Ellis Court who saw or heard anything suspicious is being asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident 925 of August 6. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Police last night said they had arrested a man, 23, on suspicion of attempted murder.