Man shot 'after being mistaken for animal'

Corrstown Golf Club, KilsallaghanImage source, Google
Image caption,

The shooting happened on the grounds of Corrstown Golf Club, Kilsallaghan

  • Published

A man in his 40s has been seriously injured after he was accidentally shot at a golf club outside of Dublin on Monday.

Gardaí (Irish police) believe he may have been mistaken for an animal by a person out hunting in the area.

The shooting happened in Corrstown Golf Club, Kilsallaghan, at about 23:00 local time.

The victim, who was shot in his upper body, was taken to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and is being treated in the intensive care unit.

His injuries are understood to be non-life threatening.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports that a number of men were out hunting in the area while a separate group, wearing wetsuits, were searching for golf balls near a lake.

It is understood that one of the hunters saw movement in the dark, mistook the man for an animal and discharged a round.

Gardaí say they are investigating the circumstances of the shooting but they do not believe it to be sinister.