Gardaí question 8 after stabbing

GARDAÍ have located and are questioning all eight people involved in Sunday night’s stabbing of four young men in Cork city, which left one victim in need of emergency surgery after having “his stomach ripped open”.

Officers have confirmed they are speaking to two groups of four young men aged between 18 and 23 — including one young man who fled the scene — as witnesses in relation to the incident.

However, none of the individuals have been arrested.

A small switch blade used in the altercation in broad daylight in the Hollyhill Lane area of Knocknaheeny has also been obtained by gardaí.

Sources close to the investigation said they are continuing to work to establish all the facts of the case, and in particular what caused the violence to occur.

This includes ongoing interviews with all eight of the people in the group who were involved in the row.

The argument is believed to have broken out when four of these young men started to verbally harass the other four.

The exact details surrounding the row are not yet known.

Three of these young men received minor wounds after being stabbed, while another remains in a serious but stable condition in Cork University Hospital (CUH).

The seriously injured man, whose name has not been formally released, was stabbed a number of times during the row, which is not believed at this stage to be gang-related.

He is understood to have attempted to escape his attacker after being stabbed in the stomach.

However, he was allegedly chased by this same attacker and stabbed another number of times.

The victim managed to reach the entrance of a nearby bar before collapsing due to his wounds.

He underwent emergency surgery at CUH on Sunday evening after injuries that sources said left “his stomach ripped open”.

The violent scene has surprised many community workers in the area.

Officers in both Knocknaheeny and Gurranabraher Garda Stations are continuing to seek the public’s assistance in relation to the case.

They are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen any unusual behaviour in the area between 6pm and 6.30pm on Sunday.

Officers can be contacted at Gurranabraher Garda Station on 021-494-6200, or the Garda confidential line 1800-666-111.