Gardaí investigating the murder of a 23-year-old man who was shot dead in the Tallaght area of Dublin early yesterday believe his killing was drugs-related.
Mr David McGreevey was leaving his home at The Glade in Belgard Heights shortly after 9 a.m. when a lone gunman got out of a stolen white van, which was parked in front of the house, and shot him a number of times with a handgun.
Hearing the shots, Mr McGreevey's mother ran from the house, but by then the gunman had fled on a waiting motorcycle. The victim was rushed to Tallaght Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mr McGreevy was on bail, having been arrested and charged last November with a drugs-related offence after a heroin find by gardaí. He lived with his parents and other family members, including his twin sister, Kelly, in a quiet cul-de-sac.
The black van Mr McGreevey was about to get into to travel to work when he was shot, and the white stolen Nissan van which had been fitted with false number plates and parked outside his home, were taken away to be forensically examined.
Despite the driving rain, neighbours and friends stood around in shock. "They are lovely people, truthfully they are. They are hard workers and lovely neighbours. It's absolutely horrifying what has happened," one man said.
The family moved into Belgard Heights from Fettarcairn a few years ago after winning the Lotto and David worked for his father's firm, Top Glass, fitting windows.
Supt Michael Byrnes described the killing as a "terrible atrocity". He said a murder hunt had been launched, with more than 40 gardaí conducting house-to-house inquiries to establish the direction in which the motorcycle had travelled as it left the scene.
He appealed for witnesses who might have seen the motorcycle in the area before or after the murder to contact Tallaght Garda station on (01) 6666056. The gunman has been described as 5 ft 7 ins or 5 ft 8 ins in height and was wearing a black or dark grey three-quarter-length coat.
The driver of the motorcycle was taller, wore dark clothes and a helmet and had a courier-type satchel over his back which was red or dark brown, and he may have been talking on a radio, Supt Byrnes said. He added that he could not speculate on the reason for the killing.
Another senior garda said that the killing was believed to be drugs-related. Asked about possible subversive involvement, he said: "That can nearly be ruled out already."