A MAN was in hospital last night after being shot in the sitting room of a relative's house in Tallaght, Dublin, writes Frank McNally.
A number of people, including children, were in the room when a man armed with a shotgun fired two shots through the window of the house at Cushlawn Park, Killinarden, just before 10 p.m.
The injured man was hit in the back of the shoulder. He was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital, where a spokeswoman said his condition was stable. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
A Garda spokesman said it was not clear whether the wounded man was the intended target.
A Garda source said the victim was visiting the house at the time. Neighbours at the scene said he was a brother in law of the owner.
Gardai are also unsure whether the shooting is related to an assault on a man the night before, also in the Killinarden area.
Investigators believe the attacker, who was accompanied by a second man, made his escape by foot. Both men were camouflaged and may have been wearing balaclavas.