Lyra McKee was shot dead in Derry. (PH)

Three men charged with the murder of queer journalist Lyra McKee have been acquitted by a judge in Northern Ireland, more than six years after the 29-year-old was fatally shot while covering an April 2019 riot in Derry.

McKee was killed after being struck by a bullet on 18 April 2019 after a masked gunman opened fire towards police during unrest in Derry’s Creggan area. The republican paramilitary group the New IRA later claimed responsibility for the shooting and apologised to McKee’s family and partner in a 23 April 2019 statement to the Irish News, describing her death as accidental. However, the identity of the gunman has never been publicly established.

Prosecutors alleged that then 25-year-old Jordan Devine, 58-year-old Paul McIntyre and 38-year-old Peter Cavanagh had encouraged or assisted the gunman, as reported by The Guardian, but on Friday (3 July), Belfast Crown Court Justice Patricia Smyth ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict any of the three men.

“The evidence against those accused of assisting or encouraging has fallen short of that required for conviction,” Smyth said, while describing McKee’s killing as “an act of senseless violence”.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, McKee’s sister, Nichola Corner, called the verdict a “complete and utter shock”, adding that the justice system had “completely failed Lyra and has failed our family and has failed Northern Ireland”.

She also criticised what she described as a “culture of silence”, noting that although around 150 people witnessed the shooting, none came forward with evidence capable of securing convictions.

As reported by BBC News, McKee’s partner, Sara Canning, has previously said she believes she knows the identity of the gunman, alleging he was “showing off” while an MTV documentary crew was filming nearby before the shooting occurred. Addressing the killer through the outlet, she said: “I hope you can’t sleep at night. I hope it haunts your every waking minute.”

McKee was widely regarded as one of Northern Ireland’s most promising young journalists and authors, known for her reporting on politics, identity and the impact of the Troubles.

Following Friday’s verdict, Reporters Without Borders urged authorities to continue pursuing “all legal avenues” to identify those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice.