A MAN is recovering in hospital after being shot in an apparent punishment-style attack in south Dublin yesterday evening.
Declan O’Reilly (31), Parnell Road, Crumlin, south Dublin, was shot three times in a laneway behind a car garage in Harold’s Cross just after 6pm.
He was taken by ambulance to St James’s Hospital, where he is in a stable condition.
The shooting occurred at a laneway linking Harold’s Cross Road to playing fields behind Kenilworth Motors.
The Irish Timesunderstands Mr O'Reilly received gunshot wounds to his hands and arms.
Gardaí are now trying to establish if the shooting is in any way linked to Mr O’Reilly’s acquittal on murder charges in February. Mr O’Reilly’s family have already been the victims of a grenade attack linked to the same killing.
In the High Court in February, Mr O’Reilly denied murdering Derek Glennon in a ground floor corridor of Mountjoy in June 2007.
The 24-year-old died after being stabbed through the heart, lung, stomach and arm.
The trial jury had viewed CCTV footage of a fight between Mr O’Reilly and Glennon of Stanaway Road, Crumlin. It showed them engaged in a sudden and brief struggle, before prison staff arrived on the scene and separated them.
Mr O’Reilly later told gardaí Glennon had been bullying him for months, forcing him to hide syringes, drugs and mobile phones on his behalf and threatening to have his brother shot. He said he was terrified.
On the evening of June 25th, 2007, Mr O’Reilly told gardaí he went to Glennon’s cell to ask him to take back a knife he had been hiding on his behalf.
He said Glennon became angry and said “get the f**k away from me. I’m going to cut your throat, you little rat”. They then walked towards the yard, where Mr O’Reilly said he thought Glennon was going to cut him.
Mr O’Reilly told gardaí he felt he had to “get” Glennon before he got him. “He wouldn’t leave me alone. He was texting my brother saying he would cut me up.”
Gardaí asked when Mr O’Reilly had decided to stab Glennon, and he replied “at the cell when he told me to get the f**k away”. Prison officers gave evidence at the trial supporting Mr O’Reilly’s claim he was being bullied by Glennon.
The scene of last night’s shooting has been preserved for a technical examination and an incident room has been set up at Terenure Garda station.
Investigating gardaí are appealing to anyone who was in the vicinity of Harold’s Cross Road between 6pm and 6.30pm last evening to contact them. Anyone with information is asked to contact Terenure Garda station on 01-6666400, or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666111.