A shooting in broad daylight at the car park of a busy hotel in Dublin’s Kilmainham should serve as a “wake-up call” over gun crime in the capital, according to a local councillor.
A 41-year-old man is recovering at St James’ Hospital after the attack, which took place on Friday just 300 metres from the local Garda station and across the road from popular tourist attraction Kilmainham Gaol.
Initial indications suggest the incident was linked to a feud involving criminals from the Ballyfermot area, according to a report in The Irish Times.
Ballyfermot councillor Daithi Doolan condemned the attack and called for action against crime gangs “who hold many communities across Dublin to ransom.”
“The actions yesterday could have hurt many more people. It’s tourist season, it’s broad daylight, it’s a busy hotel,” he told Newstalk radio.
“I believe there was young students there, pupils and tourists there, so we really need to see this in the guise of an attack on a community, not simply confined between one element of a criminal gang and another element of a criminal gang.
This needs to serve as a wake-up call to the Minister for Justice
“This violence never remains contained in those quarters – it always ends up hurting innocent people.
“These are the very same gangs who hold many communities across Dublin to ransom, every day and every night, with their guns, their violence and their actions.
“And I think this needs to serve as a wake-up call to the Minister for Justice, who really does need to focus on Dublin and [on] breaking the stranglehold of gun crime in Dublin.”
Gardaí are meeting at Kilmainham this Saturday afternoon to discuss the shooting.
The victim, who was also the subject of two other shooting attacks in the last two years and who has one serious conviction for a drug offence, is expected to survive according to The Irish Times.
The 41-year-old had just emerged from using the hotel gym when he was targeted. He was still conscious when brought to the nearby St James’ Hospital, and a source said he was “on the right side of critical” on Friday evening.
Gardaí have issued an appeal for witnesses and are understood to searching for a silver vehicle which may have been used during the shooting.
