Baby, mother and uncle shot: ‘Are they going to kill children before they kill people?’
The baby boy, with his 29-year-old mother, and his 17-year-old uncle, was injured in the shooting in Parslickstown Gardens, Mulhuddart, West Dublin, yesterday afternoon.
Gardaí suspect the attack is part of a long-running feud and fear there will be further violence.
Speaking at the scene, Superintendent Liam Carolan of Blanchardstown Garda Station described the situation as “volatile”.
A man was arrested after the shooting when officers searched his house and found shotgun cartridges.
The view of gardaí is also shared by Arthur Collins, grandfather of the little boy.
“This feud is only starting,” he said.
Mr Collins said he thought the shots were fireworks and only realised a shooting had taken place when he saw his son on the ground.
He said: “We were putting up a Christmas tree and the next thing we heard was: ‘Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.’ For that, my son on the ground, my grandson only months old and shot into the face and into the body. I held the blood from my son.”
“To tell you the truth, I thought it was bangers. I ran out, I seen her holding the baby, I seen my son on the ground. Is it gone that far now that they’re going to kill children before they kill people? This has to be the lowest of the lowest that I’ve every come across in my life.”
Mr Collins said his son was now fighting for his life as a result of the attack.
“He [the gunman] could have killed someone here,” said Mr Collins. “My son is fighting for his life. I don’t know if he is going to live or die. But I will tell you, it’s wrong. It’s wrong, it’s wrong, it’s wrong — no matter what you say, no matter what you do.”
Mr Collins said the feud has been going on for two years between two families and all efforts at mediation had failed.
This has been going on for the last two years,” he said. “Everything was peace[ful]. Now they are after going and starting it up again. They could have killed someone here today.
“These guards are up here seven days a week talking about it and trying to put an end to it. We went to Blanchardstown for this feud to be over. It’s only starting now before the Christmas. It was all over a boy and a girl running away and the thing has never stopped.”
The man arrested, aged in his 30s, was detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act on suspicion of possessing ammunition.
