GARDAÍ HAVE begun a double murder investigation after two men were shot dead last night in an attack at a flats complex in Dublin’s south inner city.
The shootings, which brought to three the number of people murdered in gangland attacks at the weekend, took place just before 7pm at a flat in Pearse House, off Pearse Street. The two victims were middle-aged men.
Only one of the men is believed to have been the killers’ target. Garda sources said the other man appears to have had the misfortune of being with the target when the gunmen struck.
Last night’s double killing followed the discovery on Saturday of the remains of drug dealer John Paul Joyce (30), Coolock, Dublin. He had been shot in the head and his body dumped in a ditch at the back of Dublin airport.
Gardaí do not believe the killing of Joyce and the murder of the two men last night are linked by motive.
However, the suspects for the Joyce killing are a drugs gang from Finglas, Dublin, and the same gang are the chief suspects for last night’s double killing in Pearse Street.
Gardaí were last night questioning three men and a woman about the Pearse Street killings. Two were arrested in the south inner city, while another two were held in Finglas.
Three of those being held are in their 20s, while one of the men is in his 40s. They are being detained under Section 50 of the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for up to seven days without charge.
Garda sources have told The Irish Timesthat Saturday's victim John Paul Joyce had links to the Finglas gang and was most likely killed by them after being abducted last Thursday. The killing was drug related.
One of the men shot dead last night in Pearse House had recently been in dispute with the Finglas gang over a shooting 18 months ago and this row is being examined as a motive for last night’s double murder.
Gardaí were alerted to last night’s attack when residents of Pearse House heard a number of shots at 6.50pm and rang the emergency services.
When gardaí and an ambulance crew arrived at the scene, they discovered the two victims with gunshot wounds.
One of the men was taken by ambulance to St James’s Hospital. He had been shot in the head. He was pronounced dead a short time after arriving at the hospital.
The other man suffered wounds to the chest and was taken by ambulance to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The scene of the shooting was sealed off overnight and will today undergo a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. Postmortems will also be carried out.
One of the men lived at the flat where the double murder took place. The other victim was visiting the flat.
Gardaí believe at least two men were involved in the murder and had placed their target under close surveillance in the period leading up to attack.
Local people told The Irish Timesthey heard three shots at the ground floor apartment. There was a heavy Garda presence in Pearse House as the investigating team started door-to-door inquiries and took the names of everybody entering and leaving the complex.
The gang suspected of last night’s double murder and the fatal shooting of John Paul Joyce was once led by leading gangster Martin “Marlo” Hyland. However, since his murder three years ago, another Finglas armed robber and drug dealer has assumed control of the faction.
A Garda source stressed that while the Finglas gang was being linked to the three most recent murders, the investigations into those killings are at an early stage.
However, if the Garda investigations establish a link between the gang and the three killings, the weekend murders will bring to 15 the number of the fatal shootings the gang is suspected of.
Two of the victims were shot dead by the gang in another double murder, in Summerhill in Dublin’s north inner city on January 7th last year.