Members of a west Finglas criminal family are suspected of the murder of Mr John Dillon, the minor criminal figure who was shot dead at his home late on Wednesday night, it has emerged.
Members of the family, who have been implicated in at least two other killings in the area in recent years, are known to have been looking for Mr Dillon in local pubs earlier on Wednesday.
Mr Dillon, a taxi-driver, had associations with the family over a long period. He is understood to have acted as a getaway driver for at least one of the robberies organised by the family last year.
Gardai are understood to believe that Mr Dillon was killed after the family had placed pressure on him to give false alibi evidence that their members were not involved in the robbery, about which he was questioned. It appears that, when he failed to do so, the family decided to kill him.
Mr Dillon was shot dead as he answered a knock on the front door of his house in Glenties Park, Finglas, at about 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday. He was struck by two shotgun blasts and died almost immediately. Local people thought the shots were fireworks and Mr Dillon's body was not discovered until 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Mr Dillon had a minor criminal record, dating from the early 1980s. He was said by local people to have been regarded as a significant local criminal in the 1970s and 1980s, but had become much less involved in crime in recent years. He may have taken part in the robbery with the criminal family to relieve debts. He was separated and had four children.