THE sister of a North Belfast man murdered by the UFF in a sectarian killing in 1993 says it "still feels like yesterday" – 30 years on.

Newington man Patrick McMahon was 23 when he was gunned down on October 15, 1993. Patrick, his partner Mandy and two-year-old son Patrick Jr, were visiting friends on Newington Avenue to show off a new dog that they had just bought when he was shot dead.

As Patrick was getting out of his vehicle, the killer opened fire from a derelict house on Newington Street.

At least five shots were fired, one piercing his heart and killing Patrick almost instantaneously. An ambulance was called but he died an hour later in the Mater Hospital.

The weapon used in the murder was a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver which had been stolen during a burglary at the home of a prison officer in 1988. According to a report by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), the gun had been used in a number of sectarian shootings between 1990 and 1993.

This weekend, a plaque will be erected in Ponsonby Avenue to mark the 30th anniversary of Patrick's murder. The event has been organised by close friend Paul Donnelly.

Speaking to the North Belfast News, Patrick's sister Emily recalled the events of that fateful night, 30 years ago this week.

"I will never forget the day Patrick was murdered. It was a Friday night," she said. "I remember my mummy wanted him to take her down the Shore Road to get materials because she made curtains but she told him to go home and get his dinner.

"He phoned my mummy and said he was out at Tesco and then visiting friends to show off his new dog. Patrick was shot in Newington Avenue from gunfire from a derelict house on Newington Street."

Looking back to 30 years ago, Emily said: "Patrick fell in love with Mandy, had a son called Patrick and were planning to move in together in a house in Manor Street. He was a painter and decorator and had spent two years renovating the property.

"I remember about a week before he was murdered he said to my mum that he didn't think he would be moving in to his new house. I will never forget that.

"Paddy lost a number of friends during the Troubles, little did he know he would be murdered himself."

For me, it still feels like yesterday and I know we are not the only family sitting like this," she added. "It has been a very hard 30 years. My daddy died from cancer ten years ago and my mummy still gets flashbacks of that awful night.

A HET report into the killing was published following a formal complaint which found that “the investigation was not thorough, to the point of negligence” and “the investigation lacked the attention and care one would have expected from such a murder investigation”.

No one has ever been charged in connection with Patrick's murder.

Emily described the police investigation into her brother's murder as a "shambles."

"So much so that he was murdered in October and his inquest was held in January, just three months later," she added.

"The coroner revealed that Patrick was shot by a gun that was used in three previous sectarian murders.

"Ten years after his murder, I phoned the barrack asking for his clothes. When we got them back, we found a £20 note in a tiny pocket of his jeans. That is how much forensics were done.

"Like many other people, Patrick was the victim of a pure sectarian murder."

Thirty years on, Emily says the impact of Patrick's death has been "huge" on the family as they prepare on mark his anniversary once again.

"For me, it still feels like yesterday and I know we are not the only family sitting like this," she added. "It has been a very hard 30 years. My daddy died from cancer ten years ago and my mummy still gets flashbacks of that awful night.

"Patrick was very popular in the New Lodge area. Growing up, he was always making and fixing things. When my father had a lorry accident, Patrick became the man of the house. He was very mature for his age. He never smoked or drank or said a bad word in his life. He always kept us on the straight and narrow.

"Patrick's murder destroyed our family. I will never forget it until the day I am called."

A plaque in memory of Patrick McMahon will be unveiled in Ponsonby Avenue on Sunday evening (October 15) at 6.30pm.