Shooting of teens raises fears of further violence

A GUN attack on five teenagers has led to fears of further violence in a north Dublin district already reeling from the murder of two people in a violent feud.

Three of the teenagers two aged 16 and a 15-year-old suffered pellet wounds when a gunman blasted them with a shotgun as they sat warming themselves by a fire in a field close to their homes. Two 14-year-olds escaped injury.

The five were sitting on an old settee when the gunman, who was wearing a balaclava, stepped out of the darkness. One of the teenagers said: "The guy appeared out of nowhere. He snuck up on us. I was closest to him and I turned my head when I heard him shout 'get a load of this boys.' Your man with the gun disappeared. We don't know who he was but he didn't seem to old." The shooting happened shortly after 9pm on Wednesday in a field close to the Rathvilly estate in Finglas. The three teenagers remained in hospital yesterday. One was treated for pellet wounds to his face, the others suffered arm and leg injuries.

Detectives were yesterday preparing to interview all five youngsters. Door to door inquiries were carried out in the housing estates close to the scene of the shooting. People said the shooting has raised fears of a fresh outbreak of violence. A long-running feud between criminal gangs based in the Finglas/Cabra area ended with two dead and seven injured. The feud effectively ended with the murder of father-of-eight Gerard Fitzgerald. The 48-year-old, a criminal from Rathvilly, was shot dead in late 2001. During a year-long feud, his nephew was killed and at least seven people shot. There is speculation of a connection between the latest shooting and the feud, as at least one of the injured teenagers is known to be connected to the Fitzgerald family.