A man in his 20s is fighting for his life after a shooting in west Dublin on Wednesday evening.
The latest attack occurred in Briarswood, Dublin 15, close to the Blakestown Road shortly after 5pm.
Garda sources said the victim, who sustained a number of wounds was critically injured.
It is understood the man who was shot is from the Clondalkin area of west Dublin and was in a white van which was stopped close to traffic lights at the time of the shooting. A gunman approached and fired into the vehicle a number of times.
The injured man was taken to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, where he is being treated for gunshot wounds. He is believed to be in a critical but stable condition.
Gardaí believe the victim was the gunman’s intended target and that he had been under surveilance before being singled out in what appeared to be a well- planned ambush.
In was the fourth gangland-style shooting in the Republic in the past month, with two men dead and two others seriously injured.
A Garda statement said: “Gardaí and emergency services are at the scene of a shooting incident at Blakestown Road, Dublin 15.
“A man in his 20s is being treated at the scene for what appear to be gunshot wounds. The incident was reported shortly after 5pm.
“A car has been discovered on fire nearby. Both areas are sealed off pending the arrival of Garda crime scene examiners.”
Getaway vehicle
The silver BMW 3 Series car, believed to be the getaway vehicle, was discovered on fire at Saddlers Grove, Mulhuddart. Gardaí believe that this car was involved in the shooting.
Both areas have been sealed off and a technical examination is being carried out by garda crime scene examiners.
A heavy Garda presence remained at the scene on Wednesday night with detectives carrying out door to door enquiries on Blakestown Road.
The white van with a Dublin registration, in which the wounded man was travelling, remains at the scene. Both the driver’s and front seat passenger windows were shattered.
Officers from the Garda Technical Bureau arrived shortly after 8pm to carry out an inspection of the van and surrounding area.
“We are appealing for anyone who was in the Blakestown Road or the Saddlers Grove area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm to contact us. We are also appealing for anyone who was driving in the area and may have dash-cam footage to contact us. Anyone with information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000,” the Garda said in a later statement on Wednesday night.
Motive
Gardaí are studying the personal background of the man who was shot in a bid to establish a motive for the attack.
The security situation in the Clondalkin area where the gun attack victim is from has deteriorated in recent years as a feud between rival factions has erupted into violence a number of times. And gardaí are now trying to establish if Wednesday’s gun attack is somehow linked to that feud.
Family and friends of the injured man will be interviewed in a bid to establish if he had come into conflict with any of the feuding criminals.
This was the fourth gangland-style shooting in four weeks - three in Dublin and one in Louth - that have left two men dead, another shot in the neck and the latest victim fighting for his life. Last Friday David Lynch, a 42-year-old gangland figure, was shot dead outside his home in the Foxdene estate in Lucan, Dublin.
Fianna Fáil Dublin West TD Jack Chambers, said of the latest attack on Wednesday evening: “I’ve spoken to some of the local residents and it’s shocking to see another incident occur on the Blakestown Road after the previous shooting and death only a number of weeks ago before Christmas.
“There’s clearly a trend here of gun violence that’s going out of control. There is excellent work being done in trying to improve visibility and the armed support units’ presence but the outrageous level of gun violence is very worrying.
“I hope we see a continued level of visibility and intervention so that incidents like this are prevented and matters like this can be addressed and people brought to justice.”
Feud
While concerns are now growing over the Clondalkin feud, its origins stretch back five years. In August 2013, Dean Johnson (21), Greenfort Lawns, Clondalkin, was shot dead on Harelawn Green by a killer intending to target a senior drug dealer but who killed the wrong person in a case of mistaken identity.
Five days later Jason Carroll (39) was shot as he tried to run to the safety of his nearby home on Cherrywood Drive; a revenge attack for the botched attempt on the life of the senior drug dealer, who has since been jailed
In September, 2017, Darragh Nugent (36) was shot dead outside his home on Wheatfield Avenue in Clondalkin.
A week later his close associate John Gibson, a father of two from Lucan, Co Dublin, was shot dead on Fortunestown Lane in Tallaght.
Both Gibson and Nugent were associates of the jailed drug dealer, in whose absence his associates are under pressure from their local drug dealing rivals.
