A man who was found dead in a house in Co Down hours after a “brutal attack” on a local priest, which is believed to be linked, has been named locally as Stephen Brannigan.
The father-of-two, who was aged in his 50s and lived in the area, was described by one local as “very helpful” in the community.
He was found dead at an address in the Marian Park area of Downpatrick at about noon on Sunday following an attack on local priest Canon John Murray, who is in a serious but stable condition.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in police custody.
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Canon John Murray was hit on the head with a bottle at St Patrick’s Church in Downpatrick after he was asked to hear someone’s Confession. He was due to retire on Thursday.
Police Service of Northern Ireland officers suspect the assault may be linked to the discovery of the body at the Marian Park address.
It was reported to police that a man walked into St Patrick’s Church at about 10.10am and hit Fr Murray on the head with a bottle.
Fr Eddie McGee, spokesman for the Diocese of Down and Connor, said Fr Murray remains in a serious but “stable” condition.
Fr Murray (75) is “highly respected and well-liked”, he said, adding that it is “difficult to comprehend that this would happen to a priest”. He said some elderly priests will feel “very vulnerable”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Fr McGee said the local community is also feeling “very vulnerable”, noting that the attack took place on Sunday morning as Fr Murray was preparing to celebrate Mass.
“It’s very hard to capture just the shock and the horror expressed yesterday by the parishioners and others who experienced this brutal attack on Fr John Murray,” he said, adding that this was compounded by the subsequent fatality.
“This is an absolutely shocking series of events in what is a really historic and beautiful town of Downpatrick, it’s very hard to capture how people are experiencing this morning.”
Supt Norman Haslett, district commander for Newry, Mourne and Down, said on Sunday that officers suspect the attack may be linked to the subsequent death.
A vigil was held at St Brigid’s Church on Sunday night for both victims, with local SDLP councillor Conor Galbraith saying there was an “element of fear” locally.
“People are still fearful, but I think the fact that we have an arrest of the suspect who is potentially linked to both incidents, it’s taken a wee bit of pressure off I suppose, knowing that someone has been taken off the streets,” he said.
Mr Galbraith, who knows the family of the deceased, said they are “devastated”.
“There’s no real words that can describe what I witnessed yesterday,” he said.
He described the deceased as a “quiet man, who kept himself to himself”.
“He got up to do his work and he came home, and that was it. He was very helpful in the community. If people needed something done, he would have been the first person to offer his support,” he said.
