The dead man has not been officially named, but was named by Garda sources as Gavin McCarthy, with an address at Oriel Street, close to where he was gunned down. The shooting took place outside a pub in Dublin's north inner city.It was the 16th gun murder of the year, with two other men missing and presumed shot dead.The victim was one a group of people standing outside Noctor's Pub, Sheriff Street, Dublin 1, when a gunman opened fire, wounding him in the face a number of times.The victim was immediately put in the back of a car and taken to the Mater Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.The scene of the shooting was sealed off and a murder investigation was begun.The attackis believed to be linked to a long-running feud between criminals from the north inner city.Last night's killing was the third gun murder to take place in the area in two years, despite an intensive policing operation put in place there to help stem the violence.The latest attack will increase fears that the feud, which has now claimed four lives, is escalating after a period of relative calm in recent months.That feud began when well-known drug dealer and armed robber Christy Griffin, who was jailed for life in April 2007 after being convicted of raping a young girl, was first accused of the crime.Griffin (38), Ridgewood Green, Swords, and formerly of Canon Lillis Ave, Dublin 1, was the leader of a major criminal gang which split when he was accused of rape.One faction supported Griffin, while the other faction believed his victim's account and formed a faction opposed to Griffin and his associates.Both sides have targeted each other through shootings and grenade attacks. While the incidents have mainly taken place in the north inner city, the violence has spread as far as Swords and Finglas.
Before last night's killing three other men had lost their lives in violence related to the feud.In December 2006, as Griffin's rape trial approached, two men - Gerard Byrne and Stephen Ledden - were shot dead in feud-related attacks.Ledden (28), was shot in the head at Oriel Street, Dublin 1, on December 27th, 2006. Byrne (25), of Ferryman's Crossing, Dublin 1, was shot dead in the IFSC on December 13th, 2006

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