The man who died in this morning’s gun attack had been involved in a feud between two drug dealing factions in Darndale, north Dublin, in recent years.
Gardaí believe today’s attack may be linked to that feud. However, Garda sources stressed the link to the feud is just one line of inquiry at this stage.
“A lot of the characters involved in the feud are embroiled in a number of other rows so we'll be keeping our minds open on the reasons for this morning’s shooting,” said one Garda source.
In the early hours of Sunday, March 29th members of two feuding factions met in the Darndale area when one of them produced a handgun and shot a member of the other group in the leg. The victim survived.
The victim of that incident is the same man who was shot dead in Artane this morning.
Within 24 hours of the March 29th shooting Darndale drug dealer David Fred Lynch (26) was shot three times in the head in Darndale, apparently in revenge for the wounding of the first victim.
It is believed this morning’s triple shooting may represent another chapter in that feud in that it may have been revenge for Lynch’s murder.
Lynch’s remains were found dumped on Monday, March 30th on waste ground near the Cúirt Baile Nua estate between Belcamp Lane and the N32, off the Malahide Road at Darndale.
Lynch was at the scene of the March 29th shooting and a very close associate of his is the chief suspect.
At the time Garda sources said they feared the wounding of the man in the leg followed by the fatal shooting of Lynch within 24 hours appeared to represent the beginnings of a very serious gangland feud.
If a link between the attacks in March and this morning’s shooting is established those fears will have been realised.
This morning’s attack is the second triple shooting this year. Stephen O’Halloran (20) was shot dead and his two friends wounded as they sat in a car outside O’Halloran’s family home on Kimartin Drive, Tallaght, on January 18th. One man has been charged with murder.