Two men shot dead in Dublin gangland attack

Gardai have appealed for witnesses after two men were brutally murdered in a gangland-style attack in west Dublin last night.

The men were shot dead at a house on Greehills Road, Walkinstown, just before 10pm. At least one gunman shot the men at the back of the house and garage, discharging up to 10 shots at the garage owner, who was 40 and from Tallaght, and his 24-year-old sales assistant who was from Clondalkin.

It is believed that the gunman escaped on a motorbike. Gardaí today appealed to anybody who was in the area and might have any information to come forward.

"A full investigation is underway at Crumlin Garda Station and Gardai are appealing for any persons in the Greenhills Road area between 9.30p.m. - 10.30 pm last night, particularly near the Greenhills Roundabout to contact them at Crumlin Garda Station", a spokesman said.

"We are particularly anxious to speak with anyone who may have seen a motorbike in the area at that time."

The garage owner's mother and two of his children were in the house at the time of the shooting. His six-year-old son ran to the scene following the shooting. Both vicitms were taken from the scene by ambulance to Tallaght and St James's hospitals but were pronounced dead a short time later.

Labour party spokesman on justice, Pat Rabbitte said the crime was "especially callous given that one of the men was killed in front of his own child.

"The depravity of these murderers knows no bounds. What is particularly disturbing in relation to killings of this type - many of them fuelled by the drugs trade - is that the conviction rate for gun murders over the past ten years has been around 16 per cent.

"In other words the killers have only around a one in six chance of being arrested and brought to justice."

Fine Gael Dublin South East TD Brian Hayes, in whose constituency the murders happened, urged communities to turn in the gangland criminals who live among them. "The gangland situation is now so serious that all citizens must realize they have a role to play," he said in a statement.

"The gardaí are fighting gangland to the best of their ability, but they can only do so much. That is why our communities must turn in the murderers who live among them."

Sinn Féin justice spokesman Aengus Ó Snodaigh also described the killings as "callous".

"This is exactly why Sinn Féin has been calling on gardaí to make serious drug and gun crime their top priority in the coming year," he said in a statement.

"I am calling on the Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan to immediately implement Sinn Féin's proposals for the civilianisation of the Gardaí. This would free up gardaí from administrative tasks and allow them to be redeployed into the fight against crime."

Ministe for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin described the killings as "appalling" and said they demonstrated "an absolute lack of respect  for human life". He said Mr Lenihan would be meeting with senior gardaí to discuss the matter.

Earlier this week, Mr Lenihan told a debate on crime in the Dáil that the fight against the activities of gangs "is going to be long and has to be relentless".

He said it was his intention to establish as policing priorities for 2008 areas such as gun crime, organised crime and drugs and public order. He had already given priority to establishing a joint policing committee in each local authority area, and 29 were now operating on a pilot basis.