A Paisley man has been killed in Weaver Terrace, in a brutal gun shooting and murder. Police have identified the man who was found shot dead following a disturbance.

The dead man, Stephen Pollock, 21 years old, died in Weaver Terrace, Paisley, at around 23:30 hrs on Wednesday night 21/12/2011 after being shot. Incidents like this are generally drug related, though no information to suggest this has yet been provided. Back in 2009 a young man Andrew Devlin was also murdered in Paisley in a drive by shooting, and in 2003 Victoria Elliot was murdered by a Paul James Bryceland, and found on the outskirts of the town.

Paisley is a town where drugs, alcohol, violence and crime blight the local community, though it by no means is the crime capital of Scotland as some would suggest. Still there is a definite undercurrent of fear and despair in Paisley, according to locals, which has been developing over time, with a number of gangs appearing to run rampant through the town.

Initial reports suggesting he was shot proved to be correct, though the cause of death was not initially confirmed by the police. Emergency services had been called to the incident after Mr Pollock, from the Renfrewshire town, was found to be dead at the scene.

Police are treating the death as murder. The post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death to be gun-shot wounds. Police officers are now working around the clock to find the murderer, though more than one person could be involved though are still in the early stages of the investigation.

Divisional Commander George Nedley as issued an urgent appeal for anyone with information to come forward.
He has asked that anyone with information on what happened to Stephen to come forward.

Police are interested in speaking to those who were with Stephen yesterday. If anyone knows where he was leading up to 23:00 hrs in Weaver Terrace, George has asked that Stephen’s family is thought of, and witnesses come forward.

Officers and forensic teams have worked on the scene throughout the day and Mr Nedley had advised of an increased police presence in the area to reassure the public. Police are hopeful that quick progress can be made in tracing the killer, which is essential to protect the public. Any gun on the streets is potentially a very dangerous thing, and if used one, it can lead on to more shootings if not resolved quickly.

Shootings are usually cowardly acts, and are often linked to illegal drugs and gambling.  Mainly used by criminals, farmers, and enthusiasts some citizens to legally possess guns, though it is not widespread. Tight controls aim to prohibit gun use and ownership, and gun crime is rare.

It is sometimes hard to learn something from these kinds of deaths, though as more information is made available maybe some lessons can be learned from this sad death. Probably drugs or crime related, unlikely to be a random shooting.

Short video on Paisley