A man who was shot and wounded while playing football under floodlights in Co Tipperary on Saturday night may have been hit by a stray round from hunters who opened fire nearby.
The freak incident occurred at about 9pm on soccer pitches in Rear Cross, Co Tipperary. The injured man was playing a match when he suffered a gunshot wound to one of his arms.
The incident happened when the man was playing for Rearcross FC against Ballymackey FC in a Junior ‘B’ team match in Division 2 of the Tipperary & District League under floodlights.
The emergency services were immediately alerted, with both gardaí and paramedics rushing to the scene. The injured man was treated at the scene before being taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick.
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He was fully assessed and underwent additional treatment at the hospital late into Saturday night.
“The scene is preserved for forensic and technical examination and investigating gardaí are appealing for witnesses,” the Garda said. “They are particularly appealing to individuals who may have been hunting in the area at the time to come forward.”
The investigation is being carried out by gardaí from Nenagh station and anyone with information is asked to contact them.
While the origin of the gunfire that wounded the victim is yet to be determined, gardaí strongly suspect it was an accidental shooting by a hunter.
In a statement, Rearcross FC said it was “totally shocked”.
“We are glad to say that our player is well and was discharged from hospital earlier this morning, we wish him a speedy recovery and to let him know that the whole club is thinking of him and his family at this time,” it said.
“We would like to thank all club members who were here last night, Ballymackey FC, the match referee and the North Tipperary & District League for their help under such unforeseen circumstances. Our thanks to the paramedics who attended Rearcross FC Grounds last night and the Gardaí who are pursuing their investigations.
“We have nothing further to say at this time.”
The incident comes as accidental shootings surpass “gun assaults” in the Republic, mainly because gun crime has fallen in recent years to an unprecedented low for the modern era.
In 2022, the last year for which figures are available, 13 people were admitted to hospital for treatment for gun shot wounds sustained in “gun assaults”, which means they were deliberately shot in a criminal act. This compares to 17 people treated for accidental gun shot wounds in the same year.
The number of people treated for gunshot wounds sustained accidentally in 2021 was 10, with nine treated for gunshot wounds sustained in “gun assaults”.
That number of “gun assault” victims being hospitalised in recent years has declined sharply on the levels seen during the Celtic Tiger years, with 59 gun assault victims being treated in the Republic’s hospitals in 2005, for example.
While there were a number of high profile shootings towards the end of last year, gun crime also remained very low in 2023. Gardaí believe many crime gangs had been deterred from engaging in serious gun crime for fear of being targeted in operations similar to those directed against the Kinahan and Hutch factions, which resulted in a large number of gang members being jailed.
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