A man who was shot up to six times in Mulhuddart on Monday was in his family home with his partner and two young children at the time, gardaí have said.
Charlie Cooper (38) was the victim of an attack by a masked gunman in the Parslickstown Green area, Dublin West, at about 8.15pm last night.
He survived the shooting and remains in a stable condition in James Connolly Hospital following emergency surgery on Monday night, and gardaí are now seeking witnesses to the attack.
In a media briefing at Blanchardstown Garda Station, Supt Liam Carolan said Mr Cooper had not come to the attention of gardaí prior to the incident, and is not known to have associated with anyone linked to criminality of any kind.
“Our information is that a person dressed all in black with a balaclava went to the rear garden of an address in Parslickstown Green and fired multiple shots through the window of that address,” said Supt Carolan.
Pursued by gunman
He added: “The injured party was struck a number of times. The injured party ran out onto the road and was then pursued by the gunman, and a number of further shots were fired.”
The gunman then fled the scene in a “dark-coloured medium-sized car”, according to eyewitness reports, but gardaí remain unsure as to whether the attacker had an accomplice.
Investigators are currently carrying out house-to-house inquiries, and gardaí have asked that anyone who was in the Parslickstown Green or greater Mulhuddart area between 5pm and 9pm on Monday evening come forward with any information they may have.
In particular, they are seeking to speak to taxi or fast-food delivery drivers who may have picked up anything of interest on dashcams, and have asked nearby houses and businesses fitted with CCTV footage to submit tapes from last night for gardaí to review.
Motive unknown
The motive for the assault remains unknown, but Supt Carolan confirmed that a number of armed high-visibility checkpoints have been set up around Mulhuddart following the violence and will remain in operation “for some time”.
It is believed Mr Cooper was initially shot through the kitchen window of the house while his family were inside. The scene remains cordoned off for a technical examination which is expected to conclude on Wednesday.
“There was a huge risk that these children could have been injured or worse, because of the amount of bullets discharged at the home,” said Supt Carolan, adding that a family liaison officer has been appointed to deal with them.
Anyone with information on the shooting can contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.