Man arrested after teenager seriously injured in shooting

Gardaí have arrested a man in relation to the shooting of a teenager in Dublin earlier today. The 18-year-old victim was seriously wounded in the incident occurred at around 3pm.

He was taken to St James's Hospital for treatment where he is in a "critical but stable" condition, the Garda said.

A 19-year-old suspect was arrested by gardaí this evening and is being held at Kilmainham Garda station.

Gardaí said the shooting occurred at the Irish National War Memorial Park near a GAA club off Con Colbert Rd, Inchicore.

The injured man had just walked off a footbridge in the area onto the side of the road where the park is situated when he was approached by a number of men on foot. Several shots were discharged at him and he was wounded in the upper body and head.

He was taken by ambulance to St. James's Hospital. Gardaí have sealed off the area where the shooting occurred and it to undergo an examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

Sources said while the victim is in a serious condition in hospital it is expected at this time that he will survive.

Gardaí are trying to establish if the attack is linked to any form of gangland activity. The injured man is related to a number of men who have been before the courts in Ireland and Spain for serious offences up to an including murder.

Some of his relatives are linked to criminals feuding with the Real IRA in Dublin. Sources said while the investigation into today’s shooting was still at a very early stage, one line of inquiry will be to determine if the victim was targeted as part of that feud between the dissidents and criminal gangs.

A relative of the 18-year-old was shot dead last year, though that was as a result of localised feuding in the Ballyfermot area of Dublin rather than linked to the feud between the gangs and the Real IRA.

Gardaí have appealed for any witnesses who may have seen anything unusual near the footbridge on the Con Colbert Road side of Memorial Park at approximately 3pm to contact Kilmainham Garda Station on (01) 6669700 of the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111.