Two detained following weekend shooting

Two juveniles have been detained for questioning in relation to a shooting  in Athlone over the weekend.

Gardai are also looking for a third person they believe may be connected to the incident on Saturday night.

According to Sgt Andrew Haran, a man received a single gun shot wound to the leg on a pathway along Grace Park Road close to 9.40pm. 

The victim later made his way to a nearby supermarket on Castlemaine Street where Gardai and emergency services were alerted.

The injured man, who is in his 20s and believed to be from Roscommon, was brought to the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore where he was treated and released a short time later.

Two juvenile males were subsequently detained in relation to the shooting incident, one on Saturday, and another on Sunday, and both are from the local area.

The pair are currently being questioned in Athlone Garda Station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, where they can be held for up to six days.

Gardai are looking for a third person they believe may be connected to the incident. They have appealed to anyone who was in the Grace Park Road area before or after the incident on Saturday and can assist the investigation in any way, to come forward in full confidence.

No gun has been recovered and officers are combing the area today (Monday) in the vicinity of where the shooting took place for vital clues to progress the investigation. A number of door-to-door enquiries have also beening carried out in the vicinity.

Anyone who has private CCTV footage in the area is urged to contact Athlone Garda Station 09064 98550.