GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the fatal shooting of a man on Saturday night believe the victim was a significant drug dealer and are investigating possible links between his killing and two other gangland murders.
The latest killing is the fifth gun murder of the year and was the second in 48 hours following the murder of John Berney (29) in Newcastle, Co Dublin, last Thursday night.
Senior Garda sources have told The Irish Times they do not believe Saturday's killing is in any way linked to Thursday's murder.
The victim of the latest attack, 29-year-old Richard McCormack from Ronanstown, west Dublin, was shot outside his brother's house on St Ronan's Drive, Ronanstown, not far from his own home on St Ronan's Close.
The gunman approached him outside the house just before 9pm. He fired a number of shots into his upper body before fleeing the scene on foot.
Gardaí believe the gunman ran down a nearby laneway to St Ronan's Way. He jumped into a waiting silver car and was driven from the scene by an accomplice.
Gardaí and the emergency services were called as Mr McCormack lay dying at the scene. He was taken by ambulance to Tallaght hospital where he died from his injuries a short time later. A handgun was used in the attack.
Mr McCormack had a small number of convictions for minor matters such as public order and drink driving. However, he was known to gardaí as a significant player in the drugs trade and was being investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau.
He was a member of a west Dublin crime gang which has been engaged in serious gun crime and drug dealing. Gardaí suspect he was involved in the shooting dead of criminal Robbie O'Hanlon.
The 25-year-old was shot three times in the head as he walked off a football field in Clondalkin. The first anniversary of that killing falls next Saturday, March 15th.
Gardaí believe Mr McCormack may have been killed in a revenge attack for the O'Hanlon murder.
Reliable Garda sources also said Mr McCormack was a suspect in the shooting dead of young drug dealer Simon Doyle. The 21-year-old was killed in December 2001 at his home in St Mark's Avenue, Clondalkin.
Labour's Joanna Tuffy TD, in whose Dublin mid west constituency Mr McCormack's murder took place, expressed concern at the high number of drug-related gun murders in recent years. She called for the Garda's new Organised Crime Unit to be given extra personnel and other resources.
Fine Gael's spokesman on justice Charlie Flanagan said he was concerned the Garda's Operation Anvil, which targets organised crime, was "winding down". He would raise the issue with Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan.
Supt Pat Clavin of Ronanstown Garda station appealed for anybody who was in the vicinity of the latest killing between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday to contact gardaí. Supt Clavin said the gunman is between 5ft 9in and 6ft in height and is of heavy build. He was wearing a grey and blue jacket and similar coloured baseball cap. The killer was not masked but covered his face with a scarf.
The gunman was heard shouting and spoke with a strong Dublin accent. A number of cars in the area were taken away by gardaí for technical examination.
The feuding amongst associates of the latest murder victim, Richard McCormack, and murdered Robbie O'Hanlon and Simon Doyle has also claimed two other lives.
In April 2002, 56-year-old Maurice Ward was shot dead at his home in Ronanstown in a suspected revenge attack for the Simon Doyle murder. Gardaí believe Doyle's associates wrongly blamed Ward for Doyle's murder.
In April 2004, Jonathan O'Reilly (24), St Mark's Gardens, Clondalkin, was shot dead outside Cloverhill Prison, Clondalkin. He was an associate of Simon Doyle.