22 Years On: Police Renew Hunt for Stephen Warnock’s Killer
Police have launched a fresh appeal for information on the 22nd anniversary of the shocking murder of loyalist Stephen Warnock. He was gunned down in cold blood in front of his young daughter in Newtownards, Co Down, in 2002.
Brutal Drive-By Shooting at Traffic Lights
Warnock, 35, a known Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) member, was shot multiple times while sitting in his blue BMW at a traffic light on Circular Road on September 13, 2002. His three-year-old daughter was in the back seat but miraculously escaped injury.
The killers, riding a motorcycle with a pillion passenger, pulled alongside Warnock’s car and opened fire before racing off towards Belfast. The motorcycle was later found burnt out in East Belfast’s Chelsea Street area.
Violent Loyalist Feuds Behind the Murder
The killing happened amid fierce rivalries between loyalist paramilitary groups, linked to the fallout of west Belfast UDA leader Johnny Adair’s expulsion. Just days later, a failed assassination attempt on east Belfast UDA figure Jim Gray—shot in the face but surviving—was tied to Warnock’s murder. Gray himself was later killed in 2005 after his own expulsion from the UDA.
Detectives Urge Witnesses to Come Forward
“This was a savage and reckless attack on a defenceless man,” said Detective Chief Inspector Byrne of the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch. “22 years have passed since this senseless killing, and I urge anyone with knowledge—whether you were there or heard something afterwards—to come forward. We are looking at several possible motives, and it’s not too late to bring closure to Stephen’s family.”
Anyone with information about Stephen Warnock’s murder is urged to contact the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch or Crimestoppers anonymously.
