Murder victim Kevin Conway was gunned down just minutes after telling his partner he was relaxing at home on the Playstation, a court has heard.
Detectives revealed that the 26-year-old was shot multiple times after the killers went to his flat in west Belfast armed with a shotgun and pistol.
Details emerged as two men from the city appeared in court charged with his murder.
Aidan O’Keefe (27) and Fergal Kane (53) allegedly travelled in convoy by van and car to the scene at Rossnareen Park on January 9.
They also both face a second count of possessing a firearm, either a shotgun or a handgun, with intent to endanger life.
The two accused, whose addresses cannot be reported, were remanded into custody at Belfast Magistrates Court.
Appearing together in the dock, neither of them responded when the charges were put to them.
Police claim O’Keefe and Kane can be connected by CCTV evidence, a vehicle tracking device and registration plate sightings on the night of the killing.
Mr Conway had been associated with a notorious organised crime gang known as The Firm. He was shot dead while on bail for the murder of Shane Whitla in Lurgan, Co Armagh in January 2023.
A detective heading the investigation into the attack on Mr Conway confirmed that two weapons were used.
An initial shotgun blast inflicted an “ineffective”, non-fatal head injury “but a handgun was effective, causing the death of Mr Conway fairly quickly,” the detective said.
Police told the court O’Keefe attended the accident and emergency department of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast earlier on the evening of the murder.
Based on CCTV and a tracking device fitted to his Toyota Proace work van, he then left the hospital without advising staff.
It was claimed that the van was driven through a number of streets in the west of the city before linking up with Kane’s BMW.
“From this point on the vehicles travel in convoy,” the detective said.
According to the police case, the car and van parked up a short distance from the scene of the killing before two masked men in dark clothing walk towards the victim’s home.
One of them can be seen on the footage carrying a handgun.
“We know from telecommunications research that Kevin sent a voice memo to his partner, recording a small snapshot of what he was doing, playing the Playstation,” the detective disclosed.
It is believed that he was shot dead two minutes after that message was sent.
Based on CCTV footage and GPRS tracking data, the vehicles then left the area and split up.
Two suspected gunmen were also observed walking on foot in the neighbourhood for a period after the shooting.
The court was told O’Keefe returned to the hospital later that night, remaining there until he got a taxi home in the early hours of January 10.
Kane’s BMW was seized and forensically examined as part of the investigation.
Initial tests revealed three particles indicative of possible cartridge discharge residue were located on the driver’s seat, front passenger footwell and in the boot of the car.
It was claimed that three men made a subsequent attempt to get rid of the work van before they were chased off by plain-clothes police officers who were keeping the vehicle under observation.
“They were either there to destroy the van or take it out of police hands for this investigation,” the detective suggested.
He confirmed that neither O’Keefe nor Kane answered any questions during interviews.
Defence solicitor Philip Breen challenged the strength of the evidence to connect both accused to the charges.
He argued that number plates cannot be read on some of the relevant recordings and questioned CCTV footage taken from bus shelters.
“It’s all of very poor quality,” Mr Breen insisted.
The lawyer also argued that the evidence about the two pedestrians observed after the shooting was not put to his clients during interviews.
But the detective responded: “It’s not necessarily our case at this time that the accused in the dock are the two individuals seen walking on foot.”
Following lengthy submissions, District Judge Steven Keown declared himself “entirely satisfied” that the prosecution had established a sufficient basis to charge both.
With neither defendant seeking bail, they were remanded in custody until February 20.
Meanwhile, a third man arrested in connection with the murder has been released on police bail to allow for further enquiries.