GARDAÍ HAVE refused to comment on speculation that a shooting incident which left a 25- year-old man with stomach and knee injuries early yesterday morning was the result of a drugs dispute.
The shooting took place at a house on Burrin Road, Carlow, some time after 2.30am yesterday.
The victim of the attack is known to gardaí but investigators are trying to establish the background to the incident.
The man sustained an injury to his abdomen and to his knee and underwent surgery at St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny.
His wounds were not life-threatening.
It is believed there was one person involved in the attack, which occurred after the victim and his partner were woken by knocking on the front door of their house, close to the centre of Carlow town.
When the victim answered the door, he was shot twice by the gunman, who was using what is thought to have been a “low-calibre” weapon, based on the shell casings left behind at the scene.
Gardaí investigating the incident were hoping to speak to the injured man later yesterday, following his surgery.
Garda Supt Gerry Redmond said it was “too early” to comment on a possible motive.
Asked about local reports circulating that the incident might have been drug-related, the superintendent said: “I couldn’t speculate on that.
“We’re looking for help from anyone in the area who might have seen the attacker running from the scene or getting into a car near the scene.”
Garda Supt Redmond added that while the victim’s injuries were not serious, the incident had been “very traumatic for the injured party involved”.