DETECTIVES believe a man critically injured in Tallaght on Friday night was shot in a case of mistaken identity. They believe the gunman's intended target was a close associate, who is a convicted killer.

David Walsh (23) was shot five times as he opened the front door of his home in Allenton Green estate, Tallaght, Dublin at 8.05pm on Friday.

He was shot twice in the chest, twice in the arm and once in the side by the lone gunman, who then ran from the scene. He remains in a serious condition at Tallaght hospital but his injures are not life-threatening.

Walsh's mother and the family solicitor were inside the house at the time.

A close associate of the injured man appeared in court last week and was refused bail on a charge of unlawful seizure of a car and robbery of a delivery man in Dublin.

When David Walsh's associate was 16, he beat a young man to death following a drinking session.

He was subsequently convicted of the victim's manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years at St Patrick's institution with the last five years suspended.

The man, who has 32 previous convictions, was recently released and it is thought that the gunman intended to shoot this man on Friday night, not David Walsh.

Although detectives believe it is most likely that David Walsh was shot by mistake they are also examining whether there could have been any other motive for the 23-year-old's shooting. He was not involved in criminality.

The gunman knocked on the door of his parents' house and opened fire with a handgun. Walsh collapsed on the doorstep but was still conscious when rushed to Tallaght hospital. The scene of the gun attack remained sealed off for a full technical examination last night and gardaí were continuing with house-to-house enquiries in the area.