GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING THE triple shooting in Bray, Wicklow, which left one man dead and two injured are probing if Pete Taylor was the intended target of the attack.
Shortly before 7am this morning, a masked man entered Bray Boxing Club on the town’s seafront and pulled out what gardaí believe to be a handgun.
A 50-year-old man was the first person to be shot dead. He has no links to criminality and gardaí currently believe he was an innocent bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Pete Taylor was injured in the incident and was described as being in a serious condition. The 57-year-old sustained injuries to his arm and chest. Taylor received the injuries as he attempted to wrestle the shooter to the ground. Another man was shot three times in the leg.
Taylor’s condition is not life-threatening and he is currently receiving treatment at a Dublin hospital. He has been up and speaking with friends and family. He has not yet given an official statement to officers.
Early indications suggest this attack could be linked to a side business Taylor is a part of. Sources said that Taylor had fallen out with a local criminal who he had befriended in recent years.
There is no suggestion Pete Taylor is involved in any form of criminality.
Gardaí will also investigate if this shooting is anything to do with the Kinahan/Hutch feud. Taylor has previously trained boxers linked to MTK Global, a boxing management company part-founded by notorious drug trafficker Daniel Kinahan. A statement released by MTK earlier this year said it had “cut all ties with Mr Kinahan in February 2017″.
Gardaí had been carrying out surveillance on a number of people they suspected of moving significant quantities of cocaine across north Wicklow and south Dublin.
Detectives are also probing the operation of a convicted killer who has now started to operate in the drug trade locally. The man is also believed to be involved in a violent debt collection business.
There is also no suggestion that anyone present at the time of the shooting was, in any way, involved in any form of criminal activity.
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Superintendent Patrick Ward said the deceased man was attending a fitness session at the gym, as he regularly did, when he was shot dead.
“They were just about to start their session when somebody came in – a gunman – he was carrying a firearm. We believe it was a handgun and he started opening fire just as they were about to start the session and three people received gunshot wounds.”
Following examination of CCTV in the area, gardaí appealed for information about a silver coloured Volkswagen Caddy with Northern Irish plates, believed to have been used by the shooter. The vehicle was discovered this evening in the Ringsend area of Dublin.
Gardaí believe there was just one shooter, but they are trying to establish whether there was someone else in the van with him.
Officers are appealing for witnesses to contact Bray Garda Station on 01 6665300 or the confidential line on 1800 666 111.
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