Irish man (24) injured in shooting on Spain’s Costa del Sol

Organised crime squad officers are investigating the incident that occurred just before 6pm on Tuesday afternoon near a luxury golf course in Marbella.

The victim was shot in the side and is said to have reached hospital himself or with help from another person rather than calling the emergency services and waiting for paramedics to arrive.

The incident happened in an area known as Turtle Lake above Aloha Golf Course.

The small and picturesque lake, hidden away in the northern part of the upmarket residential area of Nueva Andalucia a short drive from Marbella town centre and glitzy Puerto Banus, is a popular day trip destination for local schools.

The latest shooting comes eight days after the arrest of alleged Kinahan cartel key member Johnny Morrissey, a British-born Irish passport holder who used to work as a Rochdale doorman, at an apartment in nearby Mijas a half-hour drive towards Malaga.

In a separate incident in July a man was stabbed and four people shot at Opium Beach Club in Marbella.

A 40-year-old Dutch national was arrested after the early-hours July 18 drama.

One of the most seriously-injured victims was a 32-year-old Irishman who after hospital treatment was arrested on suspicion of being involved in an altercation moments before the shooting in a VIP area of the stage where South African DJ Black Coffee was playing to a packed crowd.

Spain’s National Police confirmed early on Wednesday morning the victim of the latest shooting was a 24-year-old Irishman.

Confirmation of his age and nationality came hours after detectives said he was a foreigner who had been shot in the side.

A National Police spokesman said: “There has been a shooting in the area of Turtle Lake in Marbella.

“The investigation is ongoing and we are yet to make any arrests.

“The gunshot victim received a bullet to his side with the bullet entering and exiting his body.

“The incident happened at 5.45pm on Tuesday.”

Sources said that although he remained at Marbella’s Costa del Sol Hospital and his injuries were serious, they were not life-threatening.

Police raced to the scene after being alerted by a call from a local who said he had heard several shots ring out.

They found no sign of casualties when they reached the area and it later transpired the gunshot victim had checked himself into hospital.

The investigation is being led by the National Police’s Uydco-Costa del Sol unit, which specialises in combating drugs and organised crime.