In 2007, the British Army formally ended Operation Banner and greatly reduced its presence in Northern Ireland.

In January 2009, security forces had to defuse a bomb in Castlewellan,[13] and in 2008 three separate incidents saw dissident republicans attempt to kill Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers in Derry, Castlederg and Dungannon.

[15][16] As the exchange was taking place, two masked gunmen in a nearby car opened fire with PM md.

[17] After the initial burst of gunfire, the gunmen walked over to the wounded soldiers lying on the ground and fired again at close range, killing two of them.

[24] A Dublin-based newspaper, the Sunday Tribune, received a phone call from a caller using a recognised Real IRA codeword.

The caller claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of the Real IRA, adding that the civilian pizza deliverymen were legitimate targets as they were "collaborating with the British by servicing them".

[25] The shootings were the first British military fatalities in Northern Ireland since Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot dead by the Provisional IRA in February 1997, during the Troubles.

[27] Two days after the Massereene Barracks shooting, PSNI officer Stephen Carroll was shot dead in Craigavon, County Armagh.

On 11 March 2009, thousands of people attended silent protests against the killings at several venues in Northern Ireland.

[42] On 25 March 2009, after a judicial review of their detention, all the men were ordered to be released by the Belfast High Court; Duffy was immediately re-arrested on suspicion of murder.

The following day he appeared in court for indictment and was remanded in custody to await trial after it was alleged that his full DNA profile was found on a latex glove inside the vehicle used by the gunmen.

The judge questioned why the Real IRA would choose Shivers as the gunman, with his cystic fibrosis and his engagement to a Protestant woman.