Gardaí are investigating the possibility this evening that a man found dead on the side of a road in Dublin was shot accidentally.
Officers have as yet failed to identify the man whose body was found with a single gunshot wound to the head on Dunsink Lane, Finglas, at 5.20 a.m. A white Mitsubishi Lancer car was found abandoned nearby with blood stained windows and upholstery. The car was stolen on Dublin's North Circular Road last Sunday.
Gardaí believe the victim was shot in the car but cannot say definitively at this stage if he was shot deliberately or accidentally.
A Garda spokeswoman said no conclusions could be reached on the incident until forensic and ballistic tests were complete. However, one possibility is that the man accidentally shot himself while travelling in the front passenger seat of the stolen car.
Officers now wish to speak to "mothers, wives or sisters" who may have information the other people in the car, who are believed to have dumped the body in Dunsink Lane and the vehicle a short distance away.
Detective Inspector Brian Sherry told RTE news: "We believe they removed the body from the car and would be heavily blood stained." Gardaí would also like to speak to anybody who saw the stolen car since it was taken at the weekend.
The Deputy State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy is beginning a post mortem at the City Morgue this evening.
The dead man is believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s and approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall. He was wearing beige desert boots, blue jeans and a blue shirt with a pink stripe.
Garda Technical Bureau officers are conducting detailed forensic examination of the scene. Dunsink Lane, which connects Finglas to Blanchardstown, will remain closed to traffic for the rest of this evening.
Blanchardstown gardaí have appealed for anyone who may have been in the area overnight and witnessed any suspicious activity to come forward.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01-6667000.