Gardai fear dispute may escalate after killing

Gardai in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, are fearful that a dispute between Traveller families which led to a fatal shooting at a halting site yesterday may escalate.

A Garda presence remained last night at the site on Ballycoolin Road in Mulhuddart where Mr Matt Hand, a married man in his 30s, was shot dead.

The incident occurred at about 10.15 a.m. when Mr Hand and a small group of men arrived at the site, St Bernadette's Park, and confronted a number of people living there. Mr Hand came under fire from a sawn-off shotgun and was struck with pellets in the body and head.

Another man was said to have been injured, although he has yet to go to hospital for treatment. Gardai have started a murder investigation and are searching for a suspect and the murder weapon.

Another man, who is believed to be a friend of Mr Hand and who was not responsible for the shooting, was arrested shortly after the incident and was taken to Blanchardstown Garda station for questioning.

He was being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, which allows him to be held for up to 72 hours.

Mr Hand, who lived at an unofficial halting site about a mile from the scene, was taken to James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown where he was pronounced dead.

Supt Malachy Mulligan of Blanchardstown Garda station, who is leading the investigation, said Mr Hand was known to the Garda to a limited degree.

He said the shooting appeared to have stemmed from a feud, as Mr Hand did not live at the site and "somebody had a weapon and was waiting and ready for him".

He said he could not rule out the possibility that a second gun was involved in the incident.

One possible motive for the shooting was that it was a revenge attack for the beating of an elderly man and a woman in the area recently.

Dozens of witness statements were taken yesterday by gardai who searched some of the caravans and trailers at the site. Some weapons and implements, including pitchforks and axes, were confiscated.

Supt Mulligan said: "We are seizing anything that would be surplus to requirements and which may be connected in any way to the inquiry".

He added: "We will have a number of guards stationed here tonight until we establish the full facts."

Some 20 caravans are on the temporary site, which was opened just before Christmas. The Traveller families living there are to move back to a permanent site at St Bernadette's Park in September, after refurbishing works are completed by Fingal County Council.

A fortnight ago Travellers stopped work from continuing on the site when they blockaded the front gate. The protest was over the council's refusal to install cooking stoves in the new units.

Five houses for settled Travellers are also being built at the site.

The scene was sealed off yesterday for examination by forensic experts who found gunshot damage on the side of a car where Mr Hand fell.

Supt Mulligan said: "There were a number of shots fired, and we are appealing to anyone in the area who may have heard them to come forward. We are also appealing for information from anyone who saw people coming or going from the site at that time."

In addition, he said, gardai were seeking to talk to anyone who may have offered assistance or medical treatment to the man said to have been injured in the shooting.