Shatter condemns 'horrific' shooting of teenage girl

The Justice Minister has branded the fatal shooting of a teenage girl in Dublin as "horrific", and said these types of incidents would not be tolerated.

The 16-year-old victim was sitting in a parked car at Brookview Way in Jobstown at 10.35pm last night when shots were fired from a passing vehicle. The girl was taken to hospital but later died from her injuries.

An incident room has been set up at Tallaght garda station.

Alan Shatter said he expected to get a briefing from the Garda Commissioner on the case later.

Minister Shatter extended his sympathy to the girl's family, and called for anyone with information to contact gardaí.

"Gun law anywhere in the country is entirely unacceptable. Unfortunately, we have groups of people in the State who have no respect for human life and, quite frankly, we have too many people accessing guns," he said.

The girl, who was weeks away from her 17th birthday, lived with her family in the Drumcairn Avenue area of Tallaght.

They were formerly from Newcastle West in Co Limerick.

It is believed she was one of four people in a silver-coloured Nissan Almera which had pulled into the Brookview estate.

A black Hyundai Santa Fe SUV pulled up alongside and at least one shot was fired from it into the car, shattering the side window.

The girl was hit in the head.

She was taken by the driver of the Nissan to hospital where she died at around 1am.

The Hyundai, which left the estate at speed, was later found abandoned in the CityWest area, near Brown’s Barn restaurant.

It was not burned out and detectives are to carry out forensic tests.

One woman who lives in the area said: "It's the norm around here. There's everyone getting shot, burned out…It's a bit of a shock I suppose, but it's the usual at the moment."