Handgun recovered by gardaí after gangland killing in Dublin

A man shot in Dublin’s south inner city in a suspected gangland attack has died of his injuries.

The victim has been named locally as David “Daithí” Douglas (54) from Cabra.

Superintendent Patrick McMenamin of Kevin Street Garda Station told reporters at a press conference that a handgun had been recovered from the scene and was being examined by gardaí.

Douglas was standing in a doorway of a shoe shop called Shoestown on Bridgefoot Street at about 4.10 pm when he was shot up to four times. He was removed to St James Hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

An incident room has been established and a family liaison officer has been appointed.

The Garda Technical Bureau are currently carrying out an examination of the scene.

A car was burnt out at a second scene. It was a Mercedes model registered 161D26702 which detectives believe was used in the murder. The vehicle was stolen on June 23rd in the Navan Road area.

“We are appealing for anyone who may have seen the vehicle in the past week to come forward,” said Supt McMenamin.

The victim was described by Supt McMenamin as “a family man” with a teenage daughter.

He said there were at least two people involved. “The only description we have is that they were tall and thin,” he said. “We are currently canvassing witnesses an are trying to establish a more definite description.”

One line of inquiry being pursued is that the man’s shooting was part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.

Douglas had survived a shooting last November when he was wounded in an ambush outside his home.

On that occasion, he was shot a number of times while out walking his dog close to his home. He received a number of gunshot wounds when a car pulled up beside him on Killala Road, Cabra, Dublin 7.

Douglas was sentenced in 2011 to 10 years with the last six suspended after he and three other men were apprehended in a car with €2 million of cocaine.

Detectives from the Garda National Drugs Unit arrested the men on April 13th, 2008, after a surveillance operation had been set up following a tip-off.

Judge Tony Hunt sentenced Douglas to 10 years with six suspended after he heard that he had a number of serious criminal convictions.

Douglas was also a former zoo keeper at Dublin Zoo.

The scene of his murder remained sealed off Friday evening and was undergoing examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.