Man shot on way home from party
Mr O’Brien, aged 22, was said to be stable at the Mid West Regional Hospital where he is being treated for a single bullet wound to the abdomen.
Supt David Sheehan said gardaí were seeking to interview a particular man in connection with the shooting.
He said they have not yet established a motive for the attack. The injured man had left a house party in Delmege Park when he was shot and wounded when walking to his own home nearby.
He was in a group on the street at Delmege Park at around 2.40am when a lone gunman approached.
Mr O’Brien was rushed to hospital where he under went life-saving surgery. He was on the critical list for a number of hours. Gardaí said they hope to speak to him some time today.
Garda forensic experts carried out a detailed examination of the scene.
Supt Sheehan said they would like to speak with any one who was in the Delmege Park area at around 2.40am yesterday.
Gardaí in Limerick have launched a major crackdown on gun crimes in the city and a huge number of illegally held firearms have been confiscated since the beginning of the year.
Chief Supt Gerry Kelly said that nearly one third of all shooting incidents in the country so far this year have occurred in Limerick.
Many guns are being brought into the city with drugs consignments. There is also a big trade in stolen shotguns in the city.
Many legally held shotguns which are stolen end up in the hands of Limerick criminals, say gardaí.
