Investigation into fatal Cork shooting still ongoing

Gardaí are still investigating the fatal shooting of a man (41) in his home in Cork city last April and are preparing a file on the matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions, an inquest into the man's death heard on Thursday.

Diarmuid Byrne died instantly after he suffered a gunshot wound to the head while with a friend in an upstairs room of his house at Plunkett Road, in Ballyphehane, Co Cork, on April 26th.

The friend rang the emergency service, but Mr Byrne, a single man who lived alone, was pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor and gardaí began an investigation.

Gardaí removed Mr Byrne’s legally held shotgun for ballistic tests while Garda technical experts carried out a forensic examination of the scene and spoke to the friend who was deeply traumatised.

Ballistic tests

Last June, detectives arrested a man (44) for questioning about the fatal shooting following the receipt of ballistic tests on the gun but the man was later released without charge.

On Thursday, Det Insp Eileen Foster told Cork Coroner’s Court that Mr Byrne’s death was still under investigation and a detailed file on the death was being prepared for the DPP.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said she carried out a postmortem on Mr Byrne's body at Cork University Hospital on April 27th after he had been identified from dental records.

She told the inquest that Mr Byrne died from severe cerebral trauma from multiple lacerations to the brain including to the brain stem due to a gunshot wound to the head.

Det Insp Foster applied to have the inquest adjourned to allow gardaí complete their inquiries and send a file to the DPP and Cork City Coroner Philip Comyn adjourned the inquest to April 6th, 2017.