Gardaí appeal for witnesses after shots fired at Traveller halting site in Cork

A gunman armed with a shotgun fired two shots in the air over a caravan

Gardaí have appealed to the public for assistance after a lone gunman fired two shots at a Traveller halting site in Cork city in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The gunman, described as being in his 20s or 30s and armed with a shotgun, entered the Spring Lane Halting site on the city's northside around 3.45am and fired two shots in the air over a caravan.

The man, who was not masked, then fled on foot out the back of the halting site to Glenfields Avenue in Ballyvolane where he got into a waiting car which made off at speed.

No one was injured in the incident but it is understood that a number of families with young children living at the halting site were badly shaken by the shooting incident.

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Garda technical teams have begun an examination of the scene in the hope of locating the cartridges from the shotgun which could then be forensically examined to see if the gun could be traced.

Gardaí have appealed to the public for help, asking anyone who saw anything unusual in Glenfields Avenue between 3am and 4am to contact them at Mayfield Garda Station on 021-4558510.

Walking dog

Gardaí have ruled out any link between the shooting at the Spring Lane Halting site and another shooting incident at Chapelgate, Glenheights Road in Ballyvolane at around 10pm on Thursday.

A man in his 40s was out walking his dog near Chapelgate when he heard a number of shots being fired behind him but he was not injured and he managed to flee into a nearby house for safety.

Gardaí are similarly appealing to anyone who was in the Chapelgate or Leeds Lane area between 9.30pm and 10.30pm on Thursday night to contact Mayfield Garda Station on 02-4558510.

Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times