Inner-city shooting is not linked to deadly Kinahan-Hutch feud – gardaí
GARDAÍ do not believe the 25-year-old man who was shot in Dublin’s north inner city was targeted because of the capital’s deadly Hutch/ Kinahan feud.
Instead, officers believe that Eddie Staunton was attacked as part of a localised inner city dispute.
Mr Staunton was said to be making a good recovery from his injuries last night in the Mater Hospital after he was shot twice as he was being given first aid following a hit-and-run incident.
It is understood four shots in total were fired at Mr Staunton from a small .22 handgun about 9.55pm on Sunday in Dublin’s north inner city.
The victim is a cousin of feud murder victim Gary Hutch but sources say he has no involvement in the deadly feud that has claimed 11 lives.
Last night, a senior source said gardaí were confident that Mr Staunton had not been targeted by the Kinahan cartel. While no arrests have yet been made, officers from Store Street garda station were investigating if he became involved in a row with local low-level criminals.
The suspects may be involved in dealing prescription tablets in the locality, according to sources.
“There is no reason for the cartel to be going after this fella, there is absolutely no intelligence that he was a target for them either,” a senior source said last night.
“The small handgun used in this shooting is more akin to a pellet gun and would not be something that the cartel use to murder one of their targets,” the source added.
Mr Staunton was cycling on James Joyce Street at 9.35pm when he was struck by a car, described by gardaí as a Silver Ford Focus with the reg number 08CN6682. The crash happened at the junction of James Joyce Street and Sean McDermott Street. The victim managed to flee the scene on foot and went to nearby Peadar Kearney House on Railway Street seeking assistance.
“At 9.47pm in Peadar Kearney House while first aid was being administered to the victim, a person, believed to be the driver of the vehicle involved in the ramming, approached the victim and shot him a number of times,” a Garda spokesperson said.
A number of streets were blocked following the incident, while communal areas within the complex were sealed off as gardaí responded.