A post-mortem is to be held today on the body of a man who was shot dead yesterday evening in the west Dublin suburb of Ballyfermot.
The victim, 40-year-old Brendan Cox, was shot at point-blank range while walking along Cherry Orchard Avenue shortly after 7.30 p.m.
He was shot twice in the back by a man armed with a shotgun and wearing a black hat. The attacker fled on foot.
The victim, who is understood to have been known to the gardaí, was taken to St James's Hospital where he died.
Gardaí are thought to be treating the murder as a gangland killing and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
The area has been sealed off and is being examined by forensic experts. State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy will carry out a post-mortem later today.
The Labour Party's justice spokesman, Mr Joe Costello, accused the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, of "indifference" in the fact of gangland killings, carried out by criminals acting with impunity.
"Last year, 20 people were killed in murders in which guns were used, but
proceedings have commenced in respect of only four of these murders," he said. "It is clear from these figures that the gangs know that they can kill with little chance of being brought to justice."
