Three men have been injured, two seriously, in a shooting outside a pub in Dublin.
A lone gunman, wearing a balaclava and brandishing two handguns, approached a crowd of people outside the Player's Lounge in Fairview shortly before 12.30am last night.
The pub's doorman, who is in his 30s, was shot in the head and is in a critical condition in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital. Two customers were also shot in the attack and are being treated at the Mater hospital.
One man, aged in his mid 20s, was shot in the chest and is also in a critical condition. Another man, in his 30s, is being treated for serious injuries but is not described as critical.
A burnt-out car, which gardaí believe is linked to the shooting, was found a short time after the attack. The red Volkswagen Golf with stolen number plates [05-D-57078] was discovered on Verschoyle Court off Mount Street.
At a briefing in Clontarf Garda station today, gardaí said they were still trying to establish a motive for the shooting.
Supt Joe O'Connor said it is still unclear who the intended target of the shooting was. He also declined to speculate whether the shooting was linked to gangland activity in the area.
From what gardaí have established so far, Supt O'Connor said they believed all three victims were shot outside the pub. He said the suspect was around 5ft 8in in height and was wearing dark clothes and a balaclava at the time of the attack.
The scene of the shooting on Fairview Strand is currently sealed off as members of Garda Technical Bureau forensically examine it. Several of the surrounding roads leading to and from the scene are also cordoned off and a number of traffic diversions are in place.
A second crime scene at Verschoyle Court where the burnt-out car was found is also being examined.
Supt Connor appealed to members of the public who may have seen the red Volkswagen car in the Fairview area or in the Verschoyle Court area last night to contact the gardaí. He said they were trying to establish what route the car took between Fairview and Mount Street.
Somebody may have seen the car travelling at excessive speed or being driven dangerously at some point between the two locations, he said.
An incident room has been set up at Clontarf Garda station. Anyone with information is asked to contact Clontarf Garda station or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.
