HistoryData
general1992

1992 shooting in Belfast, North Ireland

November 14, 1992

A loyalist paramilitary attack on a Catholic-area bookmakers in Belfast killed three civilians and wounded thirteen during the Northern Ireland conflict.

Quick Facts

Year
1992
Category
general

Key Facts

Date
14 November 1992
Perpetrator group
Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Civilians killed
3 people
Civilians wounded
13 people
Target
James Murray's bookmakers, Oldpark Road
Weapons used
Assault rifle and grenade

By the Numbers

14
Date
3people
Civilians killed
13people
Civilians wounded

Location

Map of Belfast, Northern IrelandMap of Belfast, Northern IrelandBelfast, Northern Ireland

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

The Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary organisation, targeted a bookmakers on the Oldpark Road located in a Catholic and Irish nationalist area of Belfast. The attack was part of a broader pattern of sectarian violence during the Northern Ireland conflict, in which loyalist groups frequently targeted Catholic civilians.

Event

On 14 November 1992, a UDA gunman opened fire on customers inside James Murray's bookmakers with an assault rifle while an accomplice threw a grenade into the shop. All victims were local Catholics. Three people were killed and thirteen others were wounded in the attack.

Consequence

The shooting drew comparisons to the Sean Graham bookmakers' attack carried out by the UDA earlier in 1992, highlighting a recurring tactic of targeting Catholic civilians in bookmaking shops. The incident added to the mounting civilian death toll in Belfast and intensified scrutiny of loyalist paramilitary violence during the period.

Timeline Context

Timeline around 19921992198919901991199319941995Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics — Basketball olympic competition in Bacelona, 19921992 Summer Olympics medal tableMani pulite — Italian political corruption scandal in the 1990sUnified Team — special team of athletes from countries of the former Soviet Union (excepting the 3 Baltic countries) competing in the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games1992 AFC Asian Cup — football tournament1992 African Cup of Nations — football tournamentEurovision Song Contest 1992 — 37th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest1992 Formula One World Championship — sports seasonattack-on-james-murrays-bookmakers-1992