THE Mayor of Limerick has called for measures to deal with the use of guns in the city.
Mr Kieron O'Hanlon was commenting yesterday following four incidents involving guns in the city in six days, including a fatal shooting. He wants a special Garda squad set up to deal with the guns issue and appealed to the public to support the gardai.
Appealing for calm he said: "There are many ways of settling disputes rather than resorting to firearms."
The mayor called on the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, to examine the sentencing policy regarding the use of firearms. He said there was little or no deterrent at the moment.
In the latest shooting on Monday evening, Mr James McCarthy (21), Old Cork Road, Crossagalla, was shot in the chest. He was described as "stable and out of danger" at Cork University Hospital where he was removed for emergency surgery.
It is understood he was home from England on holidays and was staying with relatives at Hyde Road. He received a single shotgun wound to his upper chest. The wounded man was dropped at the door of Limerick Regional Hospital shortly after 7 p.m. and left there, according to gardai.
A car was later stopped after a chase on Childers Road and a man is being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Roxboro Garda Station.
In another incident at Sarsfield Gardens, Moyross, at 2.30 a.m. on Tuesday, a shot was fired at the front door of a house but no one was injured. Gardai are also investigating the firing of a single shot into a house in Colmcille Street, St Mary's Park, on Monday night. No one was injured.
Gardai are "making progress" in the investigation of the fatal shooting of Sean Colbert (54) at his home at Lenihan Avenue early last Friday.