*The incident occurred in Church Drive on Saturday.
GARDAÍ have set up an incident room at Ennis Garda Station as investigations continue into an attempted shooting in Clarecastle, the behaviour has been described as “akin to gangland warfare” by a local representative.
On Saturday evening, a shot from a gun was fired from a silver Audi towards a man standing outside a house in Church Drive, Clarecastle alongside his wife. The incident occurred at approximately 6:35pm.
Members of the household first noticed a dark Nissan car acting suspiciously and this was followed by a silver Audi which came into the estate and its front seat passenger fired a shot towards the house, both cars then left the Clarecastle estate.
Non life-threatening injuries were sustained by the man who was taken to University Hospital Limerick for medical attention.
An incident room has been set up at Ennis Garda Station and anyone with any information in relation to this incident, anyone who may have witnessed it or anyone who has dash cam or camera footage are being asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100.
Residents at the property which was subject to the attack are understood to have moved in within the last fifteen to eighteen months.
Ongoing incidents in Clarecastle require action, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) stressed. “Clare County Council have to take appropriate action, it isn’t the first time there has been a disturbance at the property. Before Christmas there was another incident with more footage, there was a bang but we don’t know if there was a shooting. I know the residents at this address had the attack brought on them, they weren’t the perpetrators but if incidents like this are happening on more than one occasion, there is an obvious reason for it, there was at least one gunshot attack and another attack,
“It is not fair on the neighbourhood, there are a lot of Council tenants tenants, a lot of people who have bought their house outright, it is a mix of families plus young and old people, it is just not right, people are living in fear of their lives,” the Clarecastle native added.
Flagging that the latest incident occurred early on Saturday evening, Cllr Murphy said an innocent bystander could easily have been hurt. “If the shot went astray who knows what might have happened, there was kids out playing and people making their way to mass, anything could have happened, the Gardaí are investigating what is going on, the Council are aware of it, I am in contact with Director of Social Development which is where housing comes under, I have contacted CEO of Clare County Council, I am calling for Clare County Council to take action, warning letters were issued, the procedures are there and I am calling for procedure to follow”.
Cllr Murphy concluded, “This is akin to gangland warfare as opposed to your normal anti-social behaviour, I’m not resting easy on this and certainly the residents aren’t either”.
