Gardaí in Limerick believe a man who suffered gunshot wounds to the face and body was the victim of an assassination attempt.
The victim, in his mid 20s, was driving alone on Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, at 10.30 p.m. on Sunday night when at least four shotgun blasts were fired at his car.
The driver suffered gunshot wounds to the right side of his face and body and was rushed to Limerick Regional Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He was also due to undergo a further operation yesterday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the hospital described the man's condition as critical, but stable.
Gardaí at Roxboro Road Station have appealed for witnesses to the latest shooting incident on Limerick's southside to come forward. "We are treating this as very serious, as an assassination attempt on a man's life," said one garda source.
In recent months, there have been numerous shooting incidents in the Ballinacurra Weston area, the majority of them gun attacks on property.
Some of the homes targeted were occupied by people with family links to members of the feuding factions involved in a bitter row on the city's northside.
While gardaí say they are keeping an open mind about the motive for this latest shooting, it is believed it may be part of a localised dispute.
"We believe this incident is connected to general criminal activity in the Ballinacurra Weston area of Limerick city," said the garda source.
Gardaí were yesterday carrying out a forensic examination of the scene and were planning to interview the injured man in hospital.