The family of the man who died after a reported incident involving a machete have said they are in shock.
Paul Brown, from Omagh in Co Tyrone, celebrated his 53rd birthday just last week but died following an incident in which his son was also injured late on Sunday.
Police have arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder and attempted murder following the incident in Slievecoole Park.
Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said: “We received a report at around 11.55pm about an incident involving a man armed with a machete, outside a house, in the Slievecoole Park area of the town.
“Officers attended, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Sadly, one of the men, aged 53, who had been administering first aid, died a short time later. Another man was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries to his hand.
“A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and is currently in police custody.
"In order to establish what happened, I am appealing to anyone who was in the Slievecoole Park area or licensed premises in the Gortin Road area on Sunday evening, prior to or around the time the assault was reported to us, and who saw what happened to get in touch.
"Did you see anyone acting suspiciously, or might you have captured dash cam footage?
It is not believed Paul died as a result of a machete attack and a postmortem is expected to be carried out tomorrow to determine the cause of death.
READ MORE: Omagh murder investigation after man dies following report of 'machete attack'
Speaking at the scene of the incident on Monday, Paul’s nephew Barry Brown said the whole family are shocked by news of his death.
“The family are just gutted, I would have grown up like a brother to Paul, as we all would have been around the same age.
“What a shock, everyone in the town knows him. You hear these platitudes all the time but everyone in Omagh would know Paul.
“Very few people would have a bad word to say about him. It’s heartbreaking and we have had messages of support from all parts of the town this morning, it’s had me in tears all morning.
“Paul would have worked very hard and spent a lot of time working in England, and he enjoyed his holidays too. He had just come home from Turkey last week,
“He was very well liked. We don’t know enough details at this stage to comment on what exactly happened and we are waiting on more information from the police.
“It’s a tragedy that it happened to Paul and it’s a tragedy that it happened in Omagh, it’s not the sort of thing you expect to happen here.”
Paul’s partner Michele runs the Stake Out takeaway on John Street in Omagh town, and Barry added the family are still coming to terms with the death.
Local residents in Slievecoole Park and Mullaghmore described their shock as the news broke of a death in the community on Monday morning.
While Paul did not live in the immediate area, residents said he would have been well known and liked by those living there.
Residents say they were awoken by the sound of police sirens shortly after midnight, with the whole Slievecoole Park estate cordoned off to the public on Monday.
READ NEXT:
- Man armed with knife jumps over Belfast takeaway counter
- PSNI release images of rammed patrol car as officers escape serious injury
- Investigation into murder of Co Tyrone man leads to questioning of prisoner
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
