Gardaí were on Wednesday evening still searching for a firearm that was picked up by young boy in Ballymun, north Dublin and discharged.
The child who fired the gun on Tuesday afternoon is believed to be 11 years old and a boy he was with at the time of the incident is aged 6.
The handgun, which was loaded with a round in the chamber, appears to have been brought into the area as part of an ongoing feud between two drugs gangs.
That feud is one of two serious gang-based disputes escalating in Ballymun, involving arson attacks and guns being fired in intimidatory attacks.
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Last June, Kevin Kelly (23) died after being hit by a car on Balbutcher Lane, and gardaí believe the vehicle was deliberately driven at him as part of feud-related violence. The Garda’s Armed Support Unit is being tasked with additional patrolling in Ballymun, given the events of recent days.
Another loaded gun was found in Ballymun on Sunday, with links to feuding also part of the investigation into that find. It was discovered by the Ballymun Drugs Unit during foot patrols in Coultry Park, in an area close to a playground.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said gardaí briefed him on the “concerning” incident of the child finding and firing the gun on Tuesday around Sillogue Green, adding his “thoughts are with the child and their family at this time”.
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris said the incident was “harrowing” for the local community and the child who picked up the gun. “To hear a child discovered and discharged a gun is something that is extraordinarily alarming,” he said.
Garda Headquarters confirmed a man in his 20s and a juvenile had been arrested, under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, in connection with Tuesday’s incident. The younger male was subsequently released.
The adult remains in custody on Wednesday evening, and gardaí believe he has important information on the origins of the gun, who took it from the sceneand where it was taken to.
Tuesday’s incident began when a male was spotted near Ballymun Garda station carrying what appeared to be a gun. He was pursued by gardaí and as he fled he threw the gun into hedges.
It was then retrieved by the 11-year-old and discharged, with the 6-year-old looking on. Shortly after the gun was fired, another young male on an e-bike arrived at the scene and took the gun away.
A major alert was sent out, with Garda members from Ballymun station and specialist Garda units searching for the firearm, which had still not been found on Wednesday night, more than 24 hours after the incident.
Paul McAuliffe, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North West, said “gangland crime has been terrorising the decent and extraordinary community of Ballymun”. While he commended the work being done by local gardaí, he said more personnel were needed in the area.
People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy said the incident has left the local community in shock. He called for immediate Government action on the matter.
“People in Ballymun are shocked and frightened by what has happened,” he said. “We are extremely lucky that nobody was injured or killed, but there is a growing sense of fear in the community as violence escalates and these feuds continue without resolution.”
