Gardaí investigating a fatal stabbing in north Co Dublin last night have arrested a man.
He is being questioned in connection with the death of a 20-year-old who was stabbed on St Cronan’s Avenue off Rathbeale Road in Swords shortly after 9pm.
It is understood the dead man sustained his injuries when a fight broke among a group that had gathered on the green of a housing estate. He was taken to Beaumont hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Gardaí investigating the incident arrested a man in his early 20s this morning. He is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at Swords Garda station.
The victim was among a group of youths drinking on a housing estate green when trouble flared up yesterday evening.
It is believed two other young men had fallen out over a girl who was expecting a child with one of them but had started a relationship with the other.
One of the men became increasingly agitated and went to a friend’s house to get a knife before returning to the scene.
The deceased received his wounds at about 9.15pm after stepping in to try and calm the disagreement. It is understood he was stabbed several times in the upper right-hand side of his chest.
“He wasn’t involved in the row - he was trying to stop it,” said a source close to the investigation.
The unemployed man, who lived nearby in St Cronan’s Close with his mother and father, was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
His pregnant girlfriend, in her 20s, was with him at the time of the attack.
Garda superintendent Mark Curran said gardaí were not looking for anyone else at this time.
The scene has been sealed off for forensic examination by Garda technical experts and at least one knife was among a number of items recovered.
Tests will be carried out on the knife to establish if it was the weapon used in the stabbing. Supt Curran expressed his sympathies to the deceased's family and friends.
“This is a terrible and very difficult time for these people,” he said.
“I’d like to reassure the community that the investigation into this will cover all aspects that led up to the incident itself.”
Detectives have already interviewed a number of people from the neighbourhood and are appealing for others who were among the group to come forward.
A postmortem examination is to be carried out on the body of the dead man later today. The scene has been preserved, and a technical examination is to take place.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Swords Garda station on (01) 6664700.
Additional reporting: PA