Gardaí believe a gun attack on a man in Dublin on Wednesday evening was a well planned gangland murder attempt. While the victim survived he was seriously ill in hospital on Wednesday night.
The attack occurred on Ballyfermot Crescent, Ballyfermot, Dublin 20, just before 7.30pm. It appears the victim, who is in his late 30s, was either driving on the street or sitting in a car outside a house when a gunman fired a large number of shots at him.
The attack had all the hallmarks of a gangland ambush and a car believed to have been used by the attackers was found burnt out a short distance away, on Ballyfermot Drive, just after the shooting.
The injured man sustained a number of gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital with serious injuries, though he was expected to survive.
The victim was a close associate of Darren Carey (20) and Patrick Murray (19). Their bodies were found in the Grand Canal in Co Kildare between December 19th, 1999, and January 10th, 2000. They had been shot and dumped in the canal in a drug-related attack. Ballyfermot criminal Mark Desmond was the main suspect for the double murder, though charges against him were dropped. Desmond was shot dead in Griffeen Valley Park, Lucan, Co Dublin, in December, 2016, aged 41 years.
The scene of Wednesday’s shooting was preserved by gardaí for technical examination. No arrests had been made at this time, gardaí said, and investigations were ongoing.
Gardaí were appealing for any witnesses to the shooting to come forward. Any road users who were travelling in the Ballyfermot Crescent area between 7pm and 7.30pm who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, were asked to make the footage available to gardaí.
Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí in Ballyfermot on 01 666 7200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
