Man held after friend's death from a gunshot

Gardaí in Tramore, Co Waterford, were last night continuing to question a man about a shooting incident at a house in the county…

Gardaí in Tramore, Co Waterford, were last night continuing to question a man about a shooting incident at a house in the county late on Monday night which left one man dead.

Mr Jonathan Burgess (23) was shot in the face at a house in Kilmacthomas just before midnight on Monday.

Mr Burgess, from Priory Lawn, Ballybeg, Waterford city, was single and unemployed. He was with another man in the house when the shooting happened.

The two were described by gardaí last night as lifelong friends. Supt Jerry Lynch said gardaí were still trying to ascertain the events which resulted in the death of Mr Burgess.

"We are trying to figure out if this was a prank that went wrong or if it was an accident or if something else happened. We know the two of them were in each other's company all day on Monday."

Gardaí were alerted to the shooting by a relation of the man being detained in Tramore last night. He was being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

The two men are believed to have gone to the house at Newtown, Carrigeen, near Kilmacthomas at around 7.30 p.m. on Monday. Mr Burgess sustained a single shotgun wound to his face some four hours later.

His body was removed to Waterford General Hospital where the Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, was due to carry out a post-mortem last night.

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Conor Lally

Conor Lally

Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times