Limerick feud escalates as masked men fire guns near supermarket

Gardaí have deployed armed support and public order units following a series of violent incidents linked to rival factions

More than 40 masked men, armed with guns, slash hooks, wooden bats and iron bars, gathered in Limerick in apparent preparation to fight.

Masked men fired guns in Limerick city near a supermarket on Monday afternoon in an escalation of a feud which has also seen more than 40 men gather to fight and a car strike pedestrians.

Gardaí have deployed four armed support units and one public order unit to deal with the escalating violence.

In one shooting incident, two armed masked men jumped from a car and fired handguns multiple times towards a house on Monday.

The armed attack is understood to have taken place in the Childers Road area of Limerick, close to a supermarket, after 2pm. A video of the incident has been shared online.

Gardaí confirmed that no one was injured and no arrests have been made, but said investigations are ongoing.

In another recent incident, more than 40 masked men, armed with guns, slash hooks, wooden bats and iron bars, gathered in Limerick in apparent preparation to fight. A video of the incident was also shared on social media.

Two men, aged in their 20s, and one aged in his 30s, were arrested as part of the alleged public order incident.

They have since been charged and are due to appear before Limerick District Court at a later date.

A teenager was also arrested at the scene and has since been released, pending a referral to the Youth Diversion Programme.

A video of the incident was also shared on social media.

Violence escalates in recent days

In another incident believed to be linked to the feud, a car struck two pedestrians, throwing them onto the road. This incident was also recorded and the video has been shared on social media.

Although there has been long-running animosity between two rival factions linked to criminality in the city, the violence has escalated sharply since Friday.

Some of those involved are well known to gardaí, with access to guns and suspected drug-dealing links.

Three garda cars were damaged while on patrol in the area, with rocks, bricks and stones thrown at the vehicles. Windows were smashed, but no gardaí were injured.

“The feud has escalated dramatically over the last number of days and there doesn't seem to be much sign of it stopping at the moment,” a garda source said.

“Tensions are high, and everyone's on high alert when these kind of things happen and it spills out onto the main public areas. People are concerned, 100%.”

The garda source said management had responded by deploying four armed support units and one public order unit on Monday.

The units are to remain on standby to police the area, with a further meeting scheduled for today to plan the response to the violence and volatility.