Gardaí suspect man found dead in burning car had been shot

Gardaí were expected to open a murder investigation after the remains of a man were found in a car that had been destroyed by fire in Co Dublin.

The man's charred remains were left inside the vehicle overnight after its discovery at Mount Andrew Rise in Lucan at approximately 8.15pm on Monday. Gardaí initially received reports of gunfire in the area and also of a car on fire. Dublin Fire Brigade, gardaí and paramedics all rushed to the scene to find the vehicle ablaze.

When the fire was brought under control the remains of a man were found in the front passenger seat. It is suspected he had been shot in the head while seated in the car before it was set on fire. The scene was sealed off immediately after gardaí arrived and was preserved overnight.

Possible link to September shooting

Gardaí are trying to establish whether the suspected shooting is linked to the attempted gun murder of a man in September, also in the Lucan area.

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The scene of the shooting is due to be examined on Tuesday morning by members of the Garda Technical Unit. A pathologist is also due to carry out a preliminary examination on the victim’s body before its removal for a full postmortem.

The death of the man is being treated as suspicious and is expected to be upgraded to a murder inquiry when the results of the postmortem are known. However, Garda sources stressed that because the remains were found inside a burning car, it was impossible to be certain he died of a gunshot wound until the postmortem results were known.

Garda Headquarters at the Phoenix Park issued a statement confirming a man had died, and that his identity was not being officially confirmed. "Emergency services attended the scene of a car fire earlier this evening. A body was subsequently discovered in the car," the statement said. "The scene has been sealed off for examination. No further information is available at this time."

Wounded several times

The incident comes a few months after a man was wounded several times in a gangland-style murder attempt in the Lucan area.

It was believed at the time that the shooting was linked to the shooting dead of David “Chen” Lynch on March 1st on the Foxdene estate, about 2km away.

Lynch was involved in the drugs trade and money laundering and was known to the man shot at in September.

It was unclear on Monday night whether the latest suspected shooting in Lucan was linked to the murder of Lynch and the subsequent murder attempt, though the possibility of links was not being ruled out.