Gardaí come under fire during shooting probe

SHOTS were fired at gardaí in Limerick yesterday, while they were investigating two earlier shooting incidents.

The shooting incidents happened at St Mary’s Park. A patrol car was in the area at 4.30am as gardaí investigated shots being fired in St Munchin’s Street at 10pm and 3.30am.

Windows at two houses were shot in but nobody was injured.

As gardaí examined the scene of the earlier incidents, shots were fired at the patrol car, but it was not hit.

Extra garda patrols have been put in place in a number of Limerick housing estates due to shootings.

Last year more than 70 shooting incidents took place in Limerick - about one-fifth of the total recorded shootings for the whole country.

Gardaí believe that most of these shootings involve groups engaged in localised feuds. There is a ready market for stolen shotguns in Limerick and many guns stolen in other parts of the country end up in the hands of Limerick criminals.

Meanwhile, two firearms were recovered yesterday in a house in Tipperary during an early morning raid.

A man in his 30s was arrested following the find in the south of the county.

Gardaí from Cahir, assisted by other units from the Tipperary division, conducted the search and made the arrest.