A man who was quizzed over the murder of Mark ‘Guinea Pig’ Desmond is in a serious condition in hospital after being shot multiple times in a gun attack.

The 42-year-old was hit up to six times after being ambushed in Lucan, west Dublin, shortly before 2pm yesterday.

A hitman fired at least 10 shots through the front windscreen of the victim’s SUV after ramming the vehicle.

The man was struck in the head, chest and arm, but despite being shot multiple times he managed to flee to a nearby property to raise the alarm.

The victim was once a close associate of the ‘Guinea Pig’, who was murdered in December 2016 just yards from the scene of yesterday’s shooting.

However, he was arrested in June 2017 over Desmond’s murder along with another man in his 20s.

Yesterday’s hit target was also linked to David Lynch (42), who was shot dead in nearby Foxdene in March of this year.

Lynch, who was also known as David Chen, was considered a significant player in the drugs trade and also acted as a money launderer. Gardaí are investigating a possible link between the Lynch murder and the gun attack yesterday.

Detectives will also probe any connections between the shooting and the murder of Desmond, who was shot in nearby Griffeen Glen Park.

After the shooting, the hit team fled in a van to the nearby Elm Way road where the van was burnt out. A second getaway vehicle was later found burnt out nearby and gardaí are probing if the gunman then fled on a motorbike.

There was a significant emergency response in the area following the attack with local uniformed and plain clothes officers, armed gardaí and the air support unit being dispatched.

The injured man last night remained at James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown in a critical condition.

Huddled

Neighbours were shaken at the scene and many children huddled around the sealed-off area.

“You hear about it but you never expect for it to happen on your own road,” said one woman.

“We’re neighbours, we live right here and it’s terrifying.”

“It’s shocking for something like this to happen,” said a man walking his dog.

Pointing over to gardaí squad cars and emergency service units, “the sooner these get out the better”, he added.

“I just want peace and quiet to walk my dog.”

Source: Read Full Article