Garda seeks witnesses to shooting of man outside Dublin pub

Gardai have appealed for witnesses to the shooting in Dublin at the weekend of Mr Thomas Byrne, who was killed as he sat drinking with friends outside O'Neill's public house in Summerhill, in the capital's north inner city.

The Garda said Mr Byrne (41), who was married with one child, was sitting in the company of 10 to 12 friends outside the public house at 7 p.m. on Sunday, when a gunman wearing a blue jacket and a sleeveless top, and who may have been wearing a woollen "monkey hat" or wig, walked past, shooting Mr Byrne once in the head.

Another man sitting nearby received a bullet wound to the arm in the incident. Gar dai are satisfied that only one shot was fired. Efforts to identify the type of gun involved were under way yesterday.

The killer was said to have been about five feet eight inches and stocky. He is believed to have walked from the scene to North William Street to a blue or grey Nissan Micra, or similar style car. A second man was waiting in the car. It was driven off in the direction of North Strand Road.

Gardai took a number of similar cars found around the city into their possession on Sunday night, for forensic tests.

Mr Byrne was originally from Sheriff Street and was living locally. At a press conference in Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station yesterday, Det Insp Hubert Collins, who is leading the investigation, said Mr Byrne was known to the Garda.

Garda spokesmen were unable to say if Mr Byrne had any drug-related convictions.

Asked about a possible motive for the killing, Det Insp Collins said Mr Byrne appeared to be the gunman's intended target but he dismissed recent media reports that he had been the subject of a paramilitary exclusion order and had been living in Spain until very recently. "We believe he has been in the area for the past 12 months," he said.

Stressing that the investigation was at an early stage, Det Insp Collins said "at present" the Garda had no evidence to suggest a connection to the murder of Mr Pat Neville (31) at St Michael's Estate, Inchicore, on Saturday.

Asked to comment on reports that the IRA had killed Mr Byrne, Det Insp Collins said "every line of investigation will be taken to its finality".

Asked if he believed that there was a hit-list of named drug-dealers circulating in paramilitary circles or if the lives of others were in danger, Det Insp Collins said efforts were focusing on the murder of Mr Byrne and he declined to speculate further.

He said gardai were "certainly concerned" over both killings which had occurred over the weekend and appealed for "any person who has any information or may have witnessed this incident to contact the Garda at Fitzgibbon Street".

Gardai are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the blue or grey Micra-style car parked in North William Street before the shooting or who may have been passing by on foot or on a bus or in a car when the shooting took place. Anyone who was drinking in O'Neill's pub at the time is also asked to come forward.

The Garda has set up a freephone telephone number at 1800 218 219.