Gardaí investigating a gun attack on a 41-year-old man in front of his partner in Cork city at the weekend have begun examining CCTV footage in the hope of identifying the lone gunman behind the shooting.
The man and his partner were just getting out of his car outside his partner's house at Chapelgate off Glenheights Road in Ballyvolane on the city's northside at around 7.45pm on Friday when the lone attacker approached him.
The attacker, who was wearing a dark hoodie and what appeared to be a scarf, fired at the victim at least three times from close range with a handgun, hitting the victim in the body, arm and leg.
The victim and his partner managed to make it back into her house as the man fled on foot out of Chapelgate, which is a cul-de-sac, back on to Glenheights Road from where he made good his escape.
The victim and his partner raised the alarm and armed members of the Regional Support Unit, who were first on the scene, treated the victim in the house before paramedics arrived and took over his treatment.
The man was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for his gunshot wounds and gardai later said his injuries were not life-threatening and described his condition as stable.
Description
Gardaí cordoned off the scene and garda technical experts began a forensic examination and investigators are hoping ballistics experts will be able identify the type of weapon used in the attack after examining the recovered bullets.
Detectives have also begun piecing together a description of the attacker after speaking to a number of witnesses and they say it appears that the man was tall and of athletic build and wearing dark clothing.
Meanwhile detectives also began harvesting CCTV from the general area and have begun examining it in the hope that cameras may have captured the gunman either entering or leaving the area on Friday evening.
Gardaí have confirmed that they are investigating whether this latest shooting incident is linked to one on September 18th, 2018 when a a number of shots at were fired at the same man in the same estate.
The man was out walking his dog at Chapelgate on that occasion when someone approached him and fired a number of shots but missed and the man was able to make his way to safety in a nearby house.
Gardaí began an investigation although the man made no formal complaint but no one was ever arrested for questioning in connection with that shooting and gardai are now looking to see if that was linked to the latest incident.
It’s understood that gardaí have spoken with the man at CUH after being given the go-ahead to do so by doctors treating him but they have yet to take a formal statement of complaint from him in relation to the latest incident.
Motive
Gardaí say they are keeping an open mind on a motive for the latest gun attack and whether it may have been carried out by either criminal elements or dissident republicans with some grievance against the victim.
However gardaí don’t believe it is linked to the murder of former Real IRA Chief of Staff and father of two, Aidan O’Driscoll (37), who lived on nearby Glenheights Road and was shot dead in Blackpool on December 7th 2016.
Gardaí believe Mr O’Driscoll was shot dead in a feud with other dissident republicans in Cork but they don’t at this stage believe Friday’s night shooting is linked to his murder.
Gardaí have set up an incident room at Watercourse Road Garda Station and are appealing to anyone who was in the Chapelgate area between 6pm and 8pm on Friday and saw anything suspicious to contact them on 021-4558260.
