THE FAMILY of a man injured in a shooting at the Garda Sports and Social Club in Westmanstown, near Lucan, Co Dublin, on Sunday has insisted he was not armed with a gun when he was attacked.
It has emerged the three young daughters of the victim narrowly escaped injury when the first shot fired by the gunman shattered the window at the rear of the car where they were sitting.
“They are very, very traumatised by this,” a spokesman for the family told The Irish Times.
“The oldest one [aged 10] took the baby [aged two] from her car seat and they all went to the [sports club] when the shooting happened.”
Gardaí have enlisted the help of Interpol in their efforts to check the background of the gunman and his victim in their native Moldova.
The victim, who is in his 30s, was wounded a number of times in the chest as he drove into the car park of Westmanstown in his Mercedes at 1pm on Sunday.
The gunman was on foot waiting for his target. When he saw his car approaching he walked up to the vehicle and discharged a volley of shots from a hand gun.
The wounded man managed to get out of the car and tackle the gunman.
Two off duty gardaí based in Dublin’s Ballymun and Tallaght stations – one of whom was carrying a hurley – saw what was happening and arrested the gunman before any more shots were fired.
The victim had just left his wife to work and was taking his children swimming in Westmanstown – a Garda club which is also open to the public – when he was attacked.
The injured man’s relative said he did not have a gun, as was suggested in reports yesterday.
The family’s spokesman also said they knew of no reason why anyone would want him dead.
“He was not worried in the last few weeks or days, he did not seem to have anything on his mind,” the relative said.
Two handguns, a 9mm and a .22, were found at the crime scene. They are being forensically examined and their origins are being investigated.
Gardaí have yet to establish a motive for the attack. The victim was taken to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, where he is recovering after surgery. He is conscious but is not well enough to speak. He is in employment and has been in Ireland with his wife for just over seven years.
They are residing here legally. They have three daughters aged 10, seven and two.
The alleged gunman, who is also in his 30s, knows the victim. The men have addresses in Leixlip and Lucan. The alleged gunman is also legally resident in the State.
He was arrested at Westmanstown on Sunday under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and brought to Lucan Garda station.
However, he was taken to hospital after he complained of headaches. Both men were under armed guard in separate hospitals last night.
Sunday’s incident was the fourth time in four weeks that unarmed gardaí tackled armed men. A so-called “tiger” kidnapping was foiled in Galway last week when uniformed gardaí overpowered an armed gang. In Dublin last month, criminals on their way to carry out two separate shootings were intercepted and arrested by unarmed officers.