Man dies in Sligo shooting

A young man who was shot in the head as he sat in a parked van on one of the busiest streets in the centre of Sligo town died last night.

There was pandemonium after a motorcycle pulled up alongside the victim's van at about 3pm. Witnesses said the pillion passenger alighted, crossed the road and fired one shot into the van.

The attack came less than three weeks after another shooting in Sligo and is believed to be related to an ongoing feud between two local families.

There have been eight shootings in Sligo in the past two years linked to this feud.

The victim was named locally as Hughie McGinley (29), from Connaughton Road in the town, a settled Traveller who only last year was injured in another shooting when he and his brother were attacked.

Mr McGinley, the father of a young baby, had been sitting in his van on Grattan Street when the attack happened. The injured man was taken to Sligo hospital by members of his own family who had been in a second van parked behind him.

There was a heavy Garda presence at the hospital as he underwent surgery. However , he died later. Supt Michael Barrett, who is heading murder investigation, said gardaí were keeping an open mind. Such an attack in the town centre in the middle of the afternoon "showed scant regard for human life". Gardaí have interviewed several witnesses and are examining CCTV footage.