The body of a man found in a burning car in west Dublin on Monday night has been removed from the scene where he was found.
Gardaí are expected to open a murder investigation shortly after the man’s charred remains were found inside the burning vehicle found at Mount Andrew Rise in Lucan at approximately 8.15pm on Monday.
The body was removed to the Office of the State Pathologist in Whitehall, north Dublin on Tuesday afternoon.
A postmortem will be carried out by locum State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers and gardaí said the results will determine the course of their investigation.
They have also appealed for information in relation to the movements of a navy Toyota Corolla (05-CW-2225) which was sold last Wednesday.
Gardaí received reports of gunfire in the area and of a car on fire on Monday night. When Dublin Fire Brigade, gardaí and paramedics arrived at the scene they found a vehicle ablaze.
When the fire was brought under control the remains of a man were found in the front passenger seat.
It is suspected the man was shot in the head while seated in the car before it was set on fire.
Gardaí are trying to establish whether his death is linked to the attempted gun murder of a man in September, also in the Lucan area.
A small bunch of flowers has been laid close to the cordoned off area. The estate is located close to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.
‘Shocked’
Local Independent councillor Alan Hayes said Mount Andrew is a very quiet estate.
“Residents are shocked that this happened in their community, literally outside of their front doors. It’s not something you’d expect to happen,” he said.
“They’re also worried because they’re concerned with the darker evenings letting children out to play, people are thinking is it actually safe.
“It’s predominantly young families in that community. They don’t want to see this kind of thing.”
Residents said they were “shocked and in disbelief” at the incident, describing the area as “generally quiet”.
“I’m shocked, I’ve been living here a few years and there’s never been anything like this,” said one young woman.
Labour councillor Joanna Tuffy said Lucan needed “major policing resources”.
“There was a shooting in Lucan in another housing estate a while back. There has been a number of deaths and shootings in Lucan in recent years,” she said.
“It’s a terrible disregard for human life and it’s happening in neighbourhoods where it would cause a lot of fear, where families live and coming so close to people in their houses.”
September shooting
Garda sources said because the remains were found inside a burning car, it was impossible to be certain he died of a gunshot wound until the postmortem results were known.
The incident just months after a man was wounded several times in a gangland-style murder attempt in the Lucan area.
It was believed at the time this shooting was linked to the shooting dead of David “Chen” Lynch on March 1st on the Foxdene estate, about 2km away.
Lynch was involved in the drugs trade and money laundering and was known to the man shot at in September.
It was unclear on Monday night whether the latest suspected shooting in Lucan was linked to the murder of Lynch and the subsequent murder attempt, though the possibility of links was not being ruled out.
Gardaí have appealed to anyone with dash cam footage or who travelled in the area last night to contact Lucan Garda station on 01-6667300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
