Gardaí were expected to open a murder investigation after a man who was fatally stabbed outside a house in north Dublin in the early hours of Tuesday died after efforts by medical staff to save him failed.
Some of the victim’s close associates have come to the attention of the Garda for organised crime, related to the drugs trade, and gardaí are fearful the killing may result in further violence. While the investigation is in its early stages, gardaí do not believe the killing was a gangland attack.
The dead man, who is in his 60s and had several adult children, was stabbed at a house on Dunsink Green, Finglas, Dublin 11, just before 12.30am. The emergency services were alerted immediately, with gardaí and paramedics rushing to the scene.
While the victim was treated at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
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It is understood a number of men called to the house on Dunsink Green after midnight, with a dispute ensuing, resulting in the victim being fatally stabbed. The property, in a local authority housing estate, remained sealed off overnight.
On Tuesday, gardaí had closed a large section of Dunsink Green to traffic and pedestrians as members of the Garda Technical Bureau could be seen carrying out a technical examination. The Office of the State Pathologist has also been informed of the killing, and a postmortem on the victim’s remains was due to be carried out on Tuesday.
While detectives from Finglas Garda station must await the results of that examination before the direction of the investigation into the killing is confirmed, all the resources of a murder inquiry have been committed to the case.
“A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Finglas Garda station. A family liaison officer will be assigned to support the family of the deceased,” Garda Headquarters said in a statement.
Gardaí in Finglas are also appealing to anyone who was on Dunsink Green, or in the general area, around the time of the fatal attack to come forward. They are especially keen to speak to anyone who may have been recording footage in the area at the time, including dashcam.
The dead man was a close associate of men from Finglas who have been involved in the drugs trade, and gangland feuding. Those men have feuded with a leading criminal in the area who has controlled much of the local drugs trade and whose gang has been repeatedly targeted in Garda operations in recent years.
However, it was not believed the killing of the man in his 60s on Tuesday morning was linked to those drug-related tensions in recent years. Instead, the fatal stabbing may be part of another, unrelated, local dispute in the Finglas area, though sources stressed the inquiry was at an early stage.
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