There were up to 70 people in a service station in north Dublin at lunchtime on Wednesday when a car pulled up and shot a man in another vehicle in the station forecourt, gardaí have confirmed.
Garda Supt Finbarr Murphy described as "outrageous" what occurred on a sunny afternoon when he said bullets flew in different directions "and any innocent person could have been injured".
The latest victim of the shooting believed to be linked to the Kinahan-Hutch feud is in a critical condition in hospital, after sustaining several bullet wounds to the upper body and neck.
The shooting occurred at the service station, opposite the Clayton airport hotel, on Clonshaugh Road, Coolock, north Dublin, just after 1.30pm on Wednesday afternoon.
The man, who is from Dublin and is in his early 30s, was shot several times in the neck and the upper body and is in a critical condition in hospital. The attackers were driving a 2008 black Lexus car registered in Dublin, that gardaí believe they have located.
M1 escape route
Gardaí said following the shooting, the suspected vehicle took the M1 to escape the scene and drove up to Ardee in Co Louth, where the car was later found burnt out.
The victim, who was driving a maroon-coloured car, had stopped at the petrol station when the attackers pulled up beside him. “He was approached by another car, who shot a number of shots in through the window” the superintendent said.
“He was shot a number of times, it’s early days yet, he is still in hospital and we haven’t got the full medical report. He is from Dublin, he was wearing a bulletproof vest. He was alone in the car, he would have been in the driver seat,” he added.
“What makes it more outrageous was it was a sunny afternoon, as you can see there were bullets in different directions, and any innocent person could have been injured in this attack,” the superintendent said.
Appeal
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was inside the petrol station at the time of the attack to come forward.
"Our appeal is for anybody who was on the Clonshaugh Road in the filling station at around 1:30pm, or anybody at the Clonshaugh roundabout who may have seen dangerous driving of a black Lexus car 08 D registration, or anybody who may have seen the car on the M50 or M1 junction heading towards Ardee," Supt Murphy said.
Employees from the service station, and from the hotel across the road expressed dismay at the midday shooting.
One man, who works at the Clayton Hotel, said he was inside when he was told what had happened. "The world is getting crazy. The garage is a very busy place, with many people from the hotel going over for food or other things," he said.
Gardaí set up a checkpoint at the scene and inspected all cars and vehicles coming out of the hotel. Airport buses carrying tourists who had been staying at the hotel were also stopped and searched by gardaí.
One employee working at the service station said he arrived to work after the shooting had occurred. “If I was there when it happened, I would have been very shaken up. I was lucky,” he said.
Another local businessman whose small store is across the road from the petrol station said he heard the gunshots and witnessed the aftermath of the incident. “It’s crazy, I would go over there for a coffee two or three times a day, that garage is always packed, especially with tourists from the hotel,” he said.
