Man shot at Wicklow building site last week dies

A man who was shot in Delgany, Co Wicklow earlier this month has died.

The attack occurred on Thursday, December 14th at a building site and was believed to have been related to a local criminal dispute.

The deceased, Clinton McCormack (44), had been shot with a handgun once in each leg and also in the shoulder and arm.

He and his son, aged in his late teens who was with him at the time, were chased through the site in the late afternoon by at least one assailant. His son was believed to have suffered injuries as a result of being hit with the gun or another heavy object.

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In an update on the investigation on Wednesday, gardaí said Mr McCormack, who was not named in the garda statement, had been pronounced dead in hospital on Tuesday.

A postmortem examination will now be carried out, the results of which will determine the course of the investigation, including whether or not Mr McCormack’s death directly relates to the shooting or an unrelated medical cause.

While Mr McCormack was expected to survive the gunshot wounds he sustained, it was discovered while he was in hospital that he had a serious illness, which is believed to have played a role in his death.

Detectives believed the attack was related to a dispute involving criminals from the Bray area but do not believe there was an intent to kill. However, the deceased had been targeted by criminals on at least one previous occasion, sources said.

The previous attempt to murder Mr McCormack, in 2016, arose from a personal dispute. The criminal behind that botched murder bid paid another man – convicted rapist Eoghan O’Connell – to shoot Mr McCormack dead. However, the shotgun cartridges became damp and the gun misfired on the day. O’Connell – then aged 28 and with an address at Dargle Heights, Bray – in November, 2017, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Mr McCormack and was eventually caught and jailed for 12 years.

Gardaí are trying to establish if the gun attack on Mr McCormack last Thursday was part of the same dispute that resulted in the 2016 failed attempt to shoot him dead.

One of Mr McCormack’s close associates has also survived two attempts on his life, as part of the same dispute, including a shooting earlier this year.

Gardaí said an incident room had been established at Greystones station under the direction of a senior investigating officer.

They appealed again for witnesses to come forward, and are seeking information on the movements of a 2007 black Ford Focus hatchback between 3pm and 5pm in the Delgany area on the day, specifically between Bellevue Hill and Kindlestown Woods car park.

Road users in the area on the day of the attack are asked to hand over camera footage to the investigation team.

Anyone with any information can contact Greystones Garda station at (01) 666 5800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any station.

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