Statement No.5
Stanmore Rd Homicide
About 30 police officers are working on the Stephen Bellingham inquiry.
The focus of the inquiry for the past two days has been the re-interview of key witnesses to determine what took place in Stanmore Road on Wednesday evening. The inquiry team has also gone door to door in the Stanmore Road, Avonside Drive, Trent Street and Armagh Street areas to ensure everyone who has any information about these events has been located and interviewed. Police have already spoken to 234 people living in the area. There are a further 200 properties, where occupants are yet to be located and spoken to.
The inquiry team intends to visit those properties on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings between 3pm and 10pm. They ask that people who have yet to be spoken to, to please make themselves available between those hours.
The area canvas and witness interviews to establish the background to the shooting is the main emphasis of the inquiry over the next few days.
The inquiry is likely to continue with the current staffing levels for the rest of this week.
This is a homicide investigation which requires a properly resourced, dispassionate and professional investigation.
There is also a PCA investigation which runs independently of the police investigation.
SJ Manderson, Superintendent
District Commander
Canterbury District Police