Journalist, 29, shot dead while covering riot in Northern Ireland

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By Linda Givetash

LONDON — A journalist was fatally shot while reporting on a riot in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry on Thursday, authorities said.

Lyra McKee, 29, was described by one colleague as a “rising star.”

Lyra McKee.Facebook

Dozens of Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers during unrest in the Creggan area of the city, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Around 100 people, including youths and members of the media, were at the scene when shots were fired before midnight local time.

An eyewitness told the BBC that a gunman fired indiscriminately into a crowd.

Leona O’Neill, a local journalist who was present, wrote on Twitter that she was with McKee when she was hit. She said McKee fell beside a police vehicle Land Rover and officers rushed her to hospital, where she died.

Tributes praising McKee described her as a warm, wonderful person who was passionate about her profession.

McKee had written for publications around the world including The Atlantic and she also edited for California-based news site Mediagazer. Her first book “The Lost Boys” was to be released next year, according to literary agency Janklow & Nesbit UK.

source: nbcnews.com