Five people, including a 13-year-old boy, have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a man (50) in East Wall in Dublin last night.
It is understood the victim, who has been named as Aidan O'Kane, was at his home on Shelmalier Road, East Wall when his house or car was damaged by objects thrown by a gang of 10 youths at about 7.15pm.
He pursued members of the group on to nearby Bargy Road. when one pulled a handgun and fired at him. He was hit once in the stomach.
Mr O'Kane was taken by ambulance to the Mater hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The five youths arrested today are aged between 13 and 19. They are all being held under Section 30 of Offences Against The State Act at Store Street and Mountjoy
The scene of the shooting remains sealed off pending a Garda technical examination. No weapon has been recovered yet.
Mr O'Kane, a mechanic, was originally from Clontarf and had lived on Shelmalier Road for some time. He was known for fixing neighbours’ bikes and computers.
Mr O'Kane's 25-year-old son was in the family home at the time of the attack and members of the gardaí had been called to the house on the previous night after a report of disturbances.
An appeal for witnesses to the shooting was made today with gardaí calling on young people and parents in particular to contact them if they have information.
"I would ask parents who saw any tell-tale signs, people who came home in a distressed or upset state, youngsters who may have been acting unusual, to come forward," Assistant Garda Commissioner Alan McHugh said.
The killing was the 20th gun murder this year and came less than a month after Limerick man Shane Geoghegan (28) was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern tonight vowed to virtually wipe out handgun ownership in the State amid growing calls for a full-force offensive against the surging gun culture.
"This was a dastardly and despicable crime," he said. ""The shooting underlines yet again how we have to crack down on handguns in our society.
"At the moment we have to establish whether the gun used in this was illegal or legal, although that it is irrelevant to the family of the deceased man. But my legislation banning the massive growth in ownership of legal handguns is pushing ahead.
"I intend to remove the 1,800 legally held handguns as soon as possible and I know gardaí continue to seize significant numbers of illegal handguns, the Minister added. "I know from talking to senior gardai that handguns continue to pose a major threat and both myself and the Garda will continue to crack down on their use."
Fine Gael's justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan called on the Government to order a six-month Garda crackdown on guns and knives and to back his party's calls for ten year sentences for those convicted of carrying weapons and a new offence of not reporting lost or stolen firearms or ammunition.
"Other measures that Minister Ahern must bring in to stem the rising tide of violence include increased use of curfew orders, and an immediate reversal of intake cuts at the Garda training college," Mr Flanagan said.
Labour Party TD Joe Costello said the murder shows that "the value placed on human life is getting less and less".
He accused the Government of failing to cope with the upsurge in violent crime. "A Government which cannot protect its citizens as they go about their daily lives or relax in the privacy of their homes is seriously failing in its duty," Mr Costello said.
Sinn Féin Dublin City councillor Christy Burke said East Wall residents have been "crying out for action in recent months as the area slid further out of control".