GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the shooting of three men at a Dublin pub believe the attack may be linked to a long-running turf war between former republicans and other elements over security at bars and clubs in the city.
Two men remained in serious condition in hospital last night after a gunman shot into a crowd of people standing outside the Players Lounge in Fairview on Sunday night.
The lone assailant, wearing a balaclava and brandishing two handguns, approached the pub at the junction of Fairview Strand and Philipsburgh Avenue on foot shortly before 12.30am.
The pub’s doorman, Warren Barrett (31) from Finglas, was shot in the head and remains in a critical condition in Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.
The gunman also shot two customers in the attack.
Another man, Austin Purcell (24) from Marino, was shot in the chest and is also in a critical condition in the Mater hospital. A third man, Brian Masterson (30), who was shot in the back, was released from hospital yesterday evening.
Gardaí believe the doorman was the intended target of the attack and the two other injured men were bystanders. Detectives are trying to establish whether the shooting is linked to a row which took place at the pub several weeks ago.
A burned-out car, which gardaí believe was used by the gunman, was found near Merrion Square a short time after the attack. The red Volkswagen Golf with stolen number plates (05-D-57078) was discovered on Verschoyle Court, off Mount Street.
Gardaí are studying CCTV footage from the pub and several of the surrounding premises.
At a briefing in Clontarf Garda station yesterday, Supt Joe O’Connor said the gunman fired up to six shots during the attack and that all three victims were shot outside the pub.
He said the suspect was about 172cm (5ft 8in) and was wearing dark clothes and a balaclava. Supt O’Connor appealed to anyone who may have seen the red Volkswagen car in the Fairview area or in the Verschoyle Court area to contact gardaí. “Somebody may also have seen the car travelling at excessive speed or being driven dangerously at some point between the two locations following the attack,” he said.
Detectives are examining CCTV footage from several locations across the city to try and establish what route the getaway car took from Fairview to Mount Street.
The scene of the shooting outside the pub on Fairview Strand was yesterday sealed off as members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out a forensic examination.
One man, who lives near the pub, said he was woken in the night by the sound of “three or four rapid thuds”. When he went to his window to investigate, he saw two bodies lying in front of the pub and a third hunched in the porch area.
He described the scene as “horrendous”, with people crouching over victims, trying to comfort them, as they lay bleeding on the pavement. One woman said she was “disgusted and disturbed” that this type of violence could happen on her doorstep. “I’m frightened to even go out and post a letter,” she said.
Labours justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte said the shooting showed the viciousness of the criminal class operating in our society.
“While we may not know what, if anything, gave rise to this incident, we do know that as far as these thugs are concerned life is cheap, and anybody who gets in the way can be obliterated with ease,” Mr Rabbitte said.
Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter said incidents like this were contributing to widespread public fear that some parts of Dublin were now subject to gun law and not the rule of law.
“Dublin is becoming more like 1920s prohibition era Chicago rather than a capital city where people can feel safe and secure,” he said.