Gardaí in Dublin investigating the murder of a father of two in Ballymun on Saturday morning believe he may have been killed in a revenge attack. Mr Michael Scott (25) died after he was attacked in his home in Ballymun early on Saturday morning.
As Mr Scott slept, two men armed with a sword and a gun burst into his Sillogue Road flat at around 3 a.m. At least one shot was discharged, hitting the victim in the upper body.
Gardaí do not believe Mr Scott was a drug dealer. He did not have a criminal record, but was known to have been involved in a number of serious drink-related rows in recent years.
One theory being explored by detectives is that his murder may have been linked to a row in Finglas on Friday night, just hours before he was killed. It is understood the dead man was involved in a row during which another man was beaten up by a small group of attackers.
While one of those involved in the row is a known drug dealer, gardaí do not believe Mr Scott's killing was a gangland incident. The Friday night beating was itself a revenge attack for an earlier assault on a person known to Mr Scott.
Mr Scott's partner was in the couple's flat when the fatal attack occurred, and is believed to have witnessed the murder. She was staying at another location yesterday after Garda forensic experts on Saturday combed the crime scene for clues. Detectives were hoping to interview her.
Mr Scott died from chest injuries. A post-mortem revealed he had died from a gunshot wound. Mr Scott had worked on building sites around the city in recent years. He was originally from Dublin's Sherrard Street.
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