A Cork mother spoke yesterday of her sorrow after her only son was murdered in front of his girlfriend as the pair made their way home from a night out.
John Butler (20), a father of one, of Knocknaheeny Avenue, Cork, was shot dead shortly after 1 a.m. yesterday by a lone gunman in Gurranabraher on the north side of Cork city.
The gunman fired two shots at Mr Butler, hitting him in the chest as he walked up towards Gurranabraher Road with his girlfriend, Rachel. The couple have a three-year-old son, Jamie.
Mr Butler, who worked at the Keytech Plastics factory in Cork, was pronounced dead on arrival at Cork University Hospital.
His mother Monica said she couldn't think of any motive for the attack on her son.
"I can't believe they took my boy from me. He was murdered in cold blood. Someone just came out of nowhere and shot him. I can't understand it. He was a gentleman. He was never in any trouble."
One local woman said she heard two loud bangs followed by the sound of a woman screaming shortly after 1 a.m.
A friend of the dead man, Jamie Hourihan, who placed a bouquet of flowers at the murder scene, spoke to John just hours before he died.
"He was my best friend. He didn't deserve this. I am stunned and shocked. It just hasn't hit home. He was an only child and his mother and father lived for him. John always got on with everyone. He loved life."
Mr Butler was a keen soccer player and he played with local club Knocknaheeny Celtic. His family were planning to throw a surprise 21st birthday for him later this year.
He is survived by his parents Monica and John, girlfriend Rachel and son Jamie.
Meanwhile, gardaí in Gurranabraher said they were puzzled by the shooting of Mr Butler. At this stage there is no known motive for the attack and no definite line to follow in the investigation.
Detectives were trying to establish yesterday whether there was any link between the murder and a fight involving youths in the Blarney Street area.
Mr Butler spent the day on Blarney Street at an annual pram race for charity. He and his girlfriend Rachel had gone for a few drinks in a local pub and were making the short journey home when the shooting occurred.
Gardaí are attempting to piece together Mr Butler's final movements. The dead man had no history of criminal activity.
The scene of the shooting was preserved for examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau and a post-mortem was due to be carried out yesterday.
Supt Mick O'Loughlin of Gurranabraher Garda Station said Mr Butler was a hard-working and popular young man. He appealed for witnesses to contact the station on (021) 4 395540.