The family of a Catholic man murdered in Portadown on Tuesday has appealed for no retaliation, saying his life should be the last lost "in the madness of our society".
Mr Adrian Lamph (29) was shot dead by a gunman who cycled into the council refuse yard where he was working and opened fire at close range.
Mr Lamph was shot in the back and head and was rushed to Craigavon Hospital but died within hours.
The Catholic Primate, Dr Sean Brady, visited the family yesterday and described the statement as "inspirational". He said he was saddened and shocked that another futile murder had taken place.
"We thought we were coming out of that chapter of our history, and please God we are. I hope it will reinforce the determination of everybody to work all the harder to make sure that we leave this chapter of violence behind us," Dr Brady said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the killing, but the anti-ceasefire Loyalist Volunteer Force, which has its main support base in Portadown, is being blamed.
Mr Lamph had a two-year-old son, Jude, and planned to move into a new house with his fiancee, Nichola. A local priest said yesterday the council worker "was working all the hours God sent to get money to buy a house for his girlfriend and son".
A statement was issued yesterday on behalf of Mr Lamph's family and his partner. The murder had left them numb with disbelief and shock, it said.
"At the moment our overwhelming feeling is one of grief. We also feel anger and outrage at the sheer senselessness of what has happened, but most of all we cannot start to understand the hatred and sectarianism which could drive anyone to commit such evil against someone who hated no one," it said.
The family said its commitment to the current momentum for peace remained unmoved.
They would be voting Yes in the referendum on the agreement reached at Stormont. "We commend the courage of those who have taken risks to secure harmony."
The RUC said yesterday it was not ruling out any motive for the killing, but that it bore the hallmarks of many attacks carried out by paramilitary groups over the years. Searches had been carried out in Portadown after the killing and clothing sent for forensic examination, it said.
There has been widespread condemnation of the killing. The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said she hoped the determination of the people in the North would "overcome yet another tragedy and will try and build a future where this is no longer part of it".
The Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, said he was appalled and disgusted by the killing, and Ms Brid Rodgers of the SDLP said Mr Lamph was targeted simply because he was a Catholic. The DUP "utterly condemned this murder and those who carried it out".
Mr Lamph's funeral will take place in Portadown on Friday. His family's statement concluded: "The grief we feel today has been felt by so many families over the years. It should not be experienced by any more. We plead that Adrian's death will not be used as an excuse for retaliation."