Gardaí arrest man after shooting

A man was arrested on a busy city street in Limerick last night after he opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun.

He fired one bullet from the gun at Mungret Street at around 10pm.

Two uniformed gardaí, male and female, who received a report of the shooting went to the scene.

“As they approached a man he dropped a hand gun,” said a garda spokesman told the Evening Echo.

A discarded bullet shell was also found lying nearby on the street.

The man who is believed to be from Eastern Europe is being held at Roxboro garda station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

Detectives were today carrying out a scene examination at Mungret Street.

The handgun has been sent to the garda ballistic section in Dublin to establish if it has any link to other shootings.

It is believed that the man is seeking asylum in this country and living in the city.

This is believed to be the first incident in which an asylum seeker has been involved in a shooting incident in Limerick.

Gardaí will try to ascertain where the man got the gun.