Man shot dead in Dublin was ‘not intended target’

The victim of a shooting in north inner city Dublin on Thursday does not appear to have any links to an ongoing gangland feud, investigating gardaí have said.

The dead man, aged in his 20s, has been formally indentfied but gardaí said his family had asked for privacy at this time.

He had previously come to the attention of the authorities as a “rough sleeper” having been homeless for a period.

Superintendent Kevin Gralton at Store Street garda station, confirmed there were early “indications” he was not the intended target.

At a briefing hours after the killing, the gunman was described as being of heavy build, dressed all in black with a scarf wrapped around his head. He fled the scene on a bicycle which he later abandoned.

The gun believed to have been used in the murder has since been found, gardaí confirmed

Prior to formal identification of the victim, Supt Gralton said it was understood he was known by gardaí but only for “low level stuff”.

He was seen to run just moments before being gunned down but regarding any potential link to the ongoing Hutch-Kinahan feud, Supt Gralton said it was too early to say.

Witnesses saw the gunman flee the area on a bicycle. He travelled down Sheriff Street Lower in the direction of Seville Place and Guild Street.

He then abandoned the bicycle at the lower end of Sheriff Street Lower before exiting onto Seville Place - the road that runs from the Five Lamps to the Samuel Beckett Bridge.

Gardaí have appealed for any witnesses to the incident - the shooting took place in a busy area of the city, behind Connolly train station and in broad daylight - to come forward in order to help trace the killer’s movements.

“There were a lot of people around after the shooting so whether they just arrived on it or whether they were there at the time I cannot confirm,” he said.

Supt Gralton said any such information would be treated with confidence.

“Sheriff Street, Oriel Place, Seville Place is an area that we patrol extensively. It gets very good coverage, we have had a number of operations running there over the past weeks and months and it will continue to be patrolled to that level,” he said.

“An innocent bystander getting shot, if that is the case, of course it’s a low. But that, when these shootings are being carried out, is always a risk.”

The area where the attack took place is home to many of the criminals on the Hutch side of the gangland feud.

That feud has already claimed two lives in Dublin, one in Meath and one in Spain in recent months.

However, the Sheriff Street area was also the scene of a protracted feud between two sides of a large gang that split.

And while that feud has been quiet for a number of years, a number of criminals involved in it still live in the area and remain at odds and active in organised crime.

The attack occurred at about 12.30pm. The victim was taken to Dublin’s Mater Hospital from the scene beside Noctor’s Pub on Sheriff Street, Dublin 1, where he later died.

Gardaí have called to businesses in the area, beside the IFSC financial centre, to seize CCTV images from the many cameras recording there.

Investigating gardaí­ have renewed their appeal for witnesses to contact the incident room at Store Street Garda Station on 01 666 8000, the Garda Confidential Line 0n 1 800 666 111 or any Garda Station.