A 43-year-old man was shot dead outside his home in west Dublin last night in the second murder in the capital in 24 hours.
Mr Paschal Boland was shot several times while sitting in a car in the driveway of his home at Ashcroft Court, near the Blakestown Road, Mulhuddart. Garda sources said the attack, which took place at 9 p.m., bore the hallmarks of a gangland shooting.
It followed the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old man, Mr Liam Thompson, from Firhouse, Tallaght, near the South Circular Road, on Tuesday night. Gardai are seeking three men in connection with the stabbing.
Last night's shooting was carried out by a man wearing a balaclava and carrying a handgun, who escaped in a red car driven by another man.
Mr Boland was taken by ambulance to James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, where he died at about 10 p.m.
A Garda spokesman said no motive for the killing had been established. It is understood, however, to have been the result of a feud.
Garda said the name of the victim would not be officially released until relatives were informed.
The victim was known to gardai, it is believed. He was shot about six times from close range.
The last gangland-type shooting in Dublin was two months ago, when Mr Gerard Moran (35) was shot twice in the leg while answering a bogus order for a food delivery in Drumcondra. In the previous such incident a year ago, Mr Eamon O'Reilly (22) was shot in a pub in Finglas.
I have started a murder inquiry into the fatal stabbing of a man near the South Circular Road in Dublin on Tuesday night.
Mr Liam Thompson (20), from Firhouse, in Tallaght, died after he was stabbed during an altercation dispute that broke out following a row near Grand Canal Bridge. in the south of the city.
Door-to-door inquiries were being carried out by gardai yesterday following the stabbing of Mr Thompson, which followed a row near Grand Canal Bridge. The Garda Sub-Aqua Unit searched a section of the canal for the murder weapon, and gardai also combed the canal banks.
The Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, carried out a post-mortem on the body yesterday, which found that Mr Thompson died from a single stab wound to the chest.
The row broke out around 11.40 p.m. near the junction of Herberton Road and South Circular Road when the victim and a companion were attacked by three men shortly after leaving a pub in the area. They had gone there after attending a funeral.
They were pursued over the Grand Canal Bridge and on to Dolphin's Road, where the attack was renewed five minutes later. Mr Thompson was stabbed in the chest and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at St James's Hospital. His companion escaped without serious injury.
Gardai were yesterday appealing for information from people in the area at the time and who they believe could have information. They believe people who came out of pubs in the area or used one of the two public phones nearby may be able to help them identify Mr Thompson's assailants. Gardai at Sundrive Road made a particular appeal for a woman who stopped her car briefly at the time of the attack to come forward.
The suspect who carried the knife is about 5 6["] tall and in his early 20s. He has a round face and short, dark brown hair. He was wearing a black leather bomber jacket and blue jeans. Another suspect is described as being about 6' tall. The Garda said he has short blond hair and is lightly built.
The third man was described as having dark brown hair and being 5 6["] to 5 7["] tall.