A man in his 50s has been shot dead in Belfast, police said.

The victim, who has not been identified, was in a car in Lady Street in the west of the city when he was gunned down on Monday evening.

According to reports the man was a takeaway delivery driver on the way to an address in the residential street when he was shot.

It is understood to have been the third shooting in Belfast in 24 hours, following separate incidents earlier on Monday when two men were injured.

Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey condemned the killing “unreservedly”.

He said: “There can be no place in our society for such actions.

“Those behind this incident have nothing to offer the community and need to stop these futile actions immediately. I would appeal for anyone with information on this shooting to bring it forward to the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).”

A PSNI spokeswoman said officers were called to the scene of the “terrible crime” shortly before 10.20pm.

Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes said: “The victim was shot inside a car and was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

“We are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information about this terrible crime to get in touch with us.”