Antrim murder victim Liam Christie was shot four times

Image source, PSNI

Image caption, Liam Christie died after he was shot at close range, say police

The 44-year-old man found dead in Antrim town on Thursday was shot four times, detectives have said.

Liam Christie's body was found on Thursday in his home on the Ballycraigy estate after neighbours raised the alarm at about 09:00 BST.

A 31-year-old man who was arrested after the shooting has been released on bail.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Det Ch Insp Rachel Wilson described the killing of Mr Christie as "brutal".

"Liam had three sons and a partner and they are trying to come to terms with him dying in such violent circumstances," she said.

Image source, Pacemaker

Image caption, Forensic officers gathered evidence at the scene of the shooting on Thursday

Mr Christie had lived in the area for a number of weeks and was previously known to police.

Ms Wilson said the victim was "shot up to four times at close range in a house where he had been residing in recent weeks".

She appealed for information and said she was particularly interested in what happened in the area between 19:00 on Wednesday and 09:00 on Thursday.

"I have already received information that a member of the public heard possible gunshots at about 02:00 on Thursday but believed it was fireworks," she said.

She said she was keen to find out if anyone else had "heard any unusual noises around this time".