Dublin gangland murder victim warned by gardaí his life was at risk

A 22-year-old man who was shot dead in Coolock, Dublin on Sunday evening had been warned by gardaí on three occasions his life was under threat.

Eoin Boylan was shot at least six times, including at least once in the head, in the front garden of his house on Clonshaugh Avenue, Coolock, Dublin 17 by a gunman who had been lying in wait for him.

Emergency services arrived at 5.15pm and attempted to save Mr Boylan's life. He was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he was pronounced dead later that evening. A postmortem was carried out on Monday which determined he died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Gardaí in Coolock have appealed for any witnesses to come forward. They are also seeking any dashcam footage recorded in the vicinity of Clonshaugh Avenue between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on Sunday.

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The gunman is believed to have been driven from the scene by a getaway driver.

The murder of Mr Boylan is believed to be linked to the ongoing gang violence in Coolock which has become the most deadly criminal feud in the country in recent months. If the murder is shown to be connected, it will be the fifth fatal shooting in the feud.

There have been at least two previous attempts on the life of Mr Boylan, including a failed gun attack as he stood outside a Dublin hotel.

In another incident, shots were fired at a house close to where Mr Boylan lived.

Gardaí believe he was the intended target but the gunman got the wrong address.

Sources said Boylan had been warned by local gardaí about an immediate and credible threat to his life on three occasions.

He was issued with a Garda Information Notice (GIM), the standard form for notifying members of the public of a suspected threat to their life, and was given advice on how to stay safe and spot suspicious activity.

The Coolock feud stems from a complicated struggle for territory among several violent drugs gangs.

It began in January when Zachary Parker (23) was shot dead outside a gym in Swords, Co Dublin.

In May, Sean Little (22), from Kilmore, Dublin, was shot dead near Walshestown in north Co Dublin.

Also in May, Hamid Sanambar (41), an Iranian gangland figure in Ireland, was gunned down on Kilbarron Avenue, Kilmore West.

A third man was also murdered in May as part of the feud. Details cannot be published for legal reasons.

Mr Boylan, who was known locally as "Fishy", worked for An Post and previously as a milkman in the local area. He was also heavily involved in the local drugs trade and was known to use violence and threats to enforce drug debts.

He had been arrested several times by gardaí on suspicion of serious criminality, including in 2015 when he was detained in relation to a €150,000 cocaine seizure. However, he had no major convictions.

One line of inquiry is that Mr Boylan was murdered in revenge for the shooting of Little. However gardaí are also aware Mr Boylan owed money to another drugs gang. “We are keeping an open mind but everything points in one direction,” a source said.

Investigators are examining the recent social media activity of Mr Boylan amid suspicions a post he made about Little’s murder may have been seen as disrespectful by associates of the deceased.

It is understood that since Little’s murder, gardaí have warned about at least six people involved in drug dealing in the area that their lives are in danger amid fears of escalation and retaliation

The shooting is the 50th suspected murder and the tenth suspected gangland murder to occur in Ireland this year.

Half of those gangland murders are linked to the Coolock feud while two are related to an ongoing gang feud in Drogheda, Co Louth.