Balaclava-clad assailant shot man in Cork city this morning

Victim, 42, was shot in the stomach while leaving an apartment in the early hours of the morning

Gardaí at the scene of an incident in the Wilton area in Cork.

A scream followed by screeching tyres were heard by neighbours of a man shot in Cork city this morning.

The victim, 42 and a father of three, was shot in the stomach by a man wearing a balaclava as he walked to his car to get to work after 5am. He remains in a stable condition in hospital. It is understood there were multiple shots fired.

Gardaí understand that the gun used in the shooting may have been a small gun.

The victim was approached by a male in a balaclava as he walked to his car in the apartment complex early on Friday morning, gardaí believe.

The victim was not living in the apartments outside which the shooting took place but had parked his car there, gardaí understand.

Forensic analysis of the crime scene has now been completed and the police cordon has been removed.

Gardaí, including the Garda Armed Response unit, remains at the scene which is near the Maxol Station on Glasheen Road in Wilton.

The man made his own way to Cork University Hospital, which is some 400m from the scene of the shooting.

He collapsed in the hospital and was treated by medical staff, it is understood.

Gardaí are searching for evidence and CCTV and other camera footage from the area. Definite lines of enquiry have not yet been established.

The victim, who is originally from the Blarney Street area of Cork city, has been undergoing medical treatment and has not yet been questioned by gardaí.

One neighbour who lives close to the shooting said that they heard a scream at about 5.30am followed by screeching tyres, the neighbour who asked not to be named, said.

"This is a quiet enough area. It's not something you'd expect around here."

The man was shot in a sleepy residential cul-de-sac in a housing estate in Wilton close to Cork University Hospital.

A children's tricycle stood in the hallway of a small apartment block immediately adjacent to the crime scene.

A resident who lives metres from where the shooting took place heard a woman shouting at the time of the attack.

“I heard someone shouting at 5.30am, it was a female voice. I didn’t hear any gunshots and I’m living right next to it,” they said.

Another man living very close to the crime scene, Malik Yasin, lives with his young family in the apartment complex.

“I came down at 11am to go to work and saw the police everywhere. They said all the front of the building was sealed off. I didn’t hear anything last night. There are a few families here, it’s a nice, safe family area. This is the first time I’ve seen gardaí in the area.”

Daniel Haughton said he had lived on the street for six years.

"Nothing like this has ever happened here before. It's quiet here. There's a real mix of people here, people from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, there have never been any issues here so this is surprising.

"People live normal lives here, I never thought anything like this could happen here."

Another resident who asked not to be named said that the shooting had unsettled the neighbourhood.

"I feel very unsafe now. Is it safe here now?"

No arrests have been made so far and a motive for the shooting has not yet been established. An incident room has been set up at Togher Garda station.

Gardaí have appealed to anyone who was in the Wilton area of Cork City between 5am and 5.45am this morning and who may have noticed anything unusual to contact investigating Gardaí. 

Any road users with camera footage (including dash cam) are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.

"Anyone with information is asked to contact Togher Garda Station on 021 494 7120, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station," a spokesperson said.