A man shot dead outside his home in Ireland is believed to linked to a long-running gangland feud.

The victim, named locally as Clive Staunton, was targeted in Leixlip, County Kildare at about 9.15pm on Thursday.

He was treated for serious injuries but was later pronounced dead.

Forensic officers are still at the address, with the body sealed off for examination.

Image: The victim was treated for serious injuries but died later

According to The Irish Times, Mr Staunton, aged in his 50s, was shot in the head upon returning home from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, where the Republic of Ireland had taken on Northern Ireland in an international friendly.


The paper reports that police are working on the theory that the gunman knew his movements - and officers want to hear from anyone who was near the estate between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.

The death is thought be the result of a bitter despite between the Kinahan and Hutch gangs, with reports that the victim had links to the latter family but no previous convictions.

More than a 15 people have been killed since the feud began with the murder of Gary Hutch in Spain in 2015.

He was the nephew of gang leader Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, who is suspected of masterminding the two biggest armed robberies in the history of the Irish state.

The most recent death before Thursday's shooting was in January, when Derek Hutch Coakley was shot outside Cloverhill Prison in west Dublin.

All but two of the murders linked to the feud are believed to have been carried out by the Kinahans - an international drug cartel led by convicted drug dealer Christy Kinahan.

He used to be an associate of Hutch until younger members of their families fell out - and Hutch later blamed him for the death of his nephew in Spain.