Gardaí are expecting further gangland gun attacks as criminals seek reprisals in response to a botched murder attempt in a Dublin restaurant on Christmas Eve.
Tristan Sherry (25) was stabbed to death after opening fire with an automatic weapon in the busy restaurant on Blanchardstown Main Street and hitting a local man (46) in the neck. The victim, along with his adult son, are believed to have been his intended targets.
The father and son have come to the attention of members of the force very recently in connection with alleged criminal activity. Gardaí believe revenge attacks are all but inevitable.
The older man remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital. Sources said he is expected to survive.
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The attack is believed to be linked to a long-running dispute between criminals in the Corduff and Finglas areas of north Dublin. Both sides have ready access to firearms and have shown a willingness to use extreme violence in the past, although Mr Sherry’s death is the feud’s first fatal incident.
Known criminals have been trading threats of revenge on social media since the shooting and seeking information on the other attacker who accompanied Mr Sherry and fled from the scene in a car.
After opening fire, Mr Sherry was disarmed by associates of the gunshot victim when his gun jammed. He was then beaten and stabbed almost 30 times in what sources described as a prolonged and bloody assault.
Describing it as a “highly unusual” investigation, a source said it will be a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as to whether those who killed Mr Sherry will face charges.
Two separate but parallel investigations are ongoing, one into the gun attack and another into the death of Mr Sherry.
A file on both will be prepared for the DPP who will decide if the actions of Mr Sherry’s killers can be justified on the basis of self-defence. A source said a key factor in the decision will be if the assailants used more force than necessary to subdue the gunman. It will be open to the DPP to bring murder or manslaughter charges or direct no prosecution.
No arrests have been made to date. It is understood some key witnesses have expressed reluctance to co-operate with the Garda investigation.
On Tuesday a postmortem determined Mr Sherry died of multiple stab wounds.
Video footage captured by diners shows customers running for safety in response to the gunshots. Gardaí have appealed for people not to share footage of the shooting online and to be aware of large amounts of misinformation about the incident being shared on social media.
Gardaí have stepped up armed patrols across the area to deter revenge attacks.
Labour councillor John Walsh, who grew up close to Blanchardstown village, described the incident as shocking and “completely atypical”.
“Blanchardstown village is a very settled suburban village with a strong sense of community and this attack was absolutely exceptional. It really has caused shock,” he said.
Mr Walsh has visited Browne’s Steakhouse many times and said it was particularly popular with families.
“It was particularly horrific as it occurred in a crowded restaurant just before Christmas,” he said.
Mr Walsh welcomed the increased garda presence in the area and urged anyone with relevant information to co-operate with An Garda Síochána.
Local Fianna Fáil councillor John-Kingsley Onwumereh, who has lived in Blanchardstown for more than 20 years, said it was a “peaceful, harmonious” community.
“There is no place where there aren’t issues of crime and criminality, but nothing on this scale. It really is a very terrible thing to have happened and so close to a special day like Christmas,” he said.
Mr Onwumereh has worked with community and youth organisations throughout the Dublin 15 area, both as a volunteer and professionally in addition to his work as a councillor.
“Because of my work it is easy for me to speak emphatically that I think this is absolutely out of character, and it has to be condemned that such a level of violence would happen,” he said.
This article was updated on December 28th to correct Tristan Sherry’s age
