Man fights for life after shooting

A MAN was fighting for his life last night after a drive-by shooting in Sligo.

The gun attack is thought to be linked with a violent feud in the town and has raised concerns of further tit-for-tat shootings.

The man, aged in his 20s, was understood to be sitting in a parked van on Grattan Street in the middle of the afternoon when a motorbike carrying two men pulled up alongside him on the narrow one-way street.

The pillion passenger on the bike got off, approached the van, opened the door and discharged a number of shots.

The victim suffered severe injuries and his assailants fled on the motorbike towards O’Connell Street.

It is understood the victim’s family, who were near the scene, brought the man to Sligo General Hospital.

Gardaí sealed off the area pending a forensic examination.

“Gardaí in Sligo are investigating the shooting of a man in the Grattan Street area of the town just after 3.10pm,” a garda spokesman said. “A man in his 20s was shot and taken to Sligo General Hospital where he remains in a serious condition with injuries to the upper body.”

He said gardaí were appealing for anyone with information to contact them on 071-9157000.

Gardaí yesterday stationed officers at Sligo General Hospital in case of any further attacks.

In March 2004, two brothers of one Traveller family were injured, one seriously, in a shooting in the Cranmore area of Sligo town as part of a feud.

The young men were travelling in a van at Devins Lane when their attacker stopped them and opened fire.