Young Irish actor shot dead in random attack in Chicago

A young Irish actor who had moved to the US to pursue his career has been killed in Chicago in what appears to be a random, motiveless murder.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Mr Barry Cunnane (27) was making his way to a bar with a friend after a pre-wedding drinks party. The duo were approached by two other men as they walked.

One of the men addressed Mr Cunnane saying: "What's up", before shooting him dead at point blank range. The attack happened just after 1.30 a.m. on Saturday.

Mr Cunnane's friend, who spoke anonymously to the Chicago paper said the men "weren't waiting for a response".

"They weren't trying to engage us in a conversation...And as soon as it happened they disappeared. It wasn't a robbery. It was, 'I'm going to kill, to kill somebody for no reason'," the friend said.

Police quoted by the newspaper said witnesses at the scene had confirmed Mr Cunnane did not get the chance to reply to his attacker before the fatal shot was fired. "The victim did not state anything," said Chicago Police Department spokesman Mr Carlos Herrera. The shooting happened in the Belmont district of the city.

Mr Cunnane worked as a sales specialist with the American Medical Association by day while pursuing his acting dreams in his free time.

His mother, Ms Monica Cunnane, has already travelled to Chicago and told the US paper: "He wouldn't hurt a fly. He was a very, very gentle boy. To think that he died is just appalling.We intend to walk around all the neighbourhoods and places he had been. And we want to see where it happened."

"It's in the nature of a pilgrimage," the dead man's father, Mr Frank Cunnane added. The family intend to hold a memorial service in Chicago before flying Mr Cunnane's body home for burial.

Mr Cunnane's brother, also called Frank, said Barry had gone to Chicago for its "vibrant theatre culture". He had chosen to live in Chicago rather than Boston or New York because it was safer, his brother said.