Death linked to victim’s row with another family

GARDAÍ have launched a murder investigation into the fatal shooting of a man in Sligo on Friday night.

The victim, 23-year-old Sam Smith, was shot in the stomach and the arm when he answered a knock at the door of his sister’s home in Carroll Drive, Cranmore Estate at around 11.30pm.

He was shot through the glass and as he lay wounded, his attacker fled the scene through an alleyway in the estate. Mr Smith was rushed to Sligo General Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He died shortly after 6pm on Saturday. Gardaí carried out a forensic examination of the scene and on Saturday evening, following Mr Smith’s death, they upgraded their investigation to a murder inquiry. It is believed the shooting may be linked to an alleged argument between the victim and another family in Sligo before Christmas. Mr Smith is a member of a large, well-known family in the area. Separately, gardaí are investigating an incident in Limerick during which a number of people received stab wounds, bringing to six the total number of knife attacks over the New Year.