A man who was shot along with his partner in front of their young son would be dead had the gun not jammed on Sunday, relatives have said. Gardaí said they were treating the incident as attempted murder and have appealed for information.
A lone gunman shot the 32-year-old as he arrived home with his seven-year-old son in the Cluain Darach housing estate in Tullamore, Co Offaly, at about 7pm on Sunday.
His 27-year-old partner was shot in the shoulder when a bullet passed through the front door of their house. The couple are believed to have three young children.
The gunman, who was armed with a pistol, fired a number of shots before the gun jammed and a scuffle ensued.
He attempted to fire again before fleeing in a silver-coloured car towards the Tullamore bypass. A car was discovered burned out in Durrow, Co Offaly, a short time later.
The injured woman was taken by ambulance to the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore, where she underwent surgery. Her partner was treated at the scene by paramedics for a graze wound to his back.
A man in his 20s was arrested yesterday morning. He is being detained at Tullamore Garda station under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
The injured woman’s father claimed more than 40 shots had been fired at the house in seven separate incidents in the past three years and bullets had lodged in the children’s bedroom ceiling.
“There was 19 shots fired altogether the last time,” he said.
“Up to this it was only the windows that have been shot but last night it was an all-out attempt to shoot him,” he added.
The intended victim was fortunate because “the gun jammed, if it didn’t he was a dead man,” he said.
When the weapon jammed, the intended target ran at the gunman and a struggle ensued while the man continued to pull the trigger.
CCTV at the property captured footage of the event and it was being studied by investigating gardaí.
The wider family want the couple and their children moved closer to the centre of town where a Garda CCTV system is in place.
He said the man’s brother lived closer to the centre of town and “nothing ever happens to his house”.
The couple, who are both from Co Offaly, have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to get a house closer to town, he said.
Gardaí are investigating possible links between the shooting and an ongoing feud.
More than 50 serious incidents of violence are believed to be related to the feud. They include a botched gun attack at a gym in Tullamore last May.
Local councillor Tony McCormack (FF) said “people in the area are shocked and dismayed and terrified at what happened yesterday”.