Gardaí in Dublin are investigating the city's latest gangland killing, in which a 32-year-old father was gunned down outside his home in Blanchardstown yesterday afternoon.
The dead man, Mark Glennon, was heavily involved in the drugs trade and had been embroiled in a bitter dispute with another drugs gang from west Dublin.
He had survived an assassination attempt just two weeks ago. His younger brother, Andrew Glennon (30), was shot dead in Clonee, Co Meath, in April as part of that feud.
Glennon had long feared for his safety and had installed three CCTV cameras and bullet-proof glass at his home at Hazelwood Crescent in the Hartstown area. His murder has heightened fears of further bloodshed in the west of the city.
Glennon was working outside the house yesterday when his killer approached him and shot him four times with a hand gun in the upper body.
Glennon's wife and young daughter were in a shop at a nearby petrol station when the attack happened. His father was first on the scene.
Gardaí believe the gunman got out of a car on the Hartstown Road just before 4pm and jumped over a wall into the Hazelwood estate. He approached Glennon and shot him at point-blank range.
The gun man escaped over the same wall, jumped into his car and left the scene at speed.
The car, described as a wine or red Toyota Camry, was found burnt out a short time later at nearby Meadow Crescent.
Glennon was taken by ambulance to James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, where he was pronounced dead just before 5pm.
Garda technical experts were last night examining his house and the getaway vehicle.
Gardaí are working on the theory that Glennon was shot dead by the same criminal gang that killed his brother. The dispute in which he was involved was drug related but had escalated into a bitter personal feud in recent months.
On August 27th, an attempt was made on his life. A gunman stormed into Glennon's home and opened fire with a .45 revolver. Five shots were discharged but nobody was wounded.
Last week, Glennon was believed to have been involved in a gun attack on a house in Blanchardstown sprayed with up to 40 bullets. These shootings were tit-for-tat incidents and are linked to yesterday's murder.
The gun attacks all took place despite Operation Anvil, set up this year to target armed gangs, particularly those in west Dublin.
Glennon was described by Garda sources as a significant player on the Dublin drugs scene. Like many of his peers, he was involved in the growing cocaine trade.
He and his brother, Andrew, were once members of the notorious Blanchardstown-based "Westies" gang. However, they fell out with gang leaders Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg, who are now missing and presumed dead in Alicante in southern Spain.
When Stephen Sugg's bother, Bernard Sugg, was shot dead in the Brookwood Inn, Corduff, in August 2003, the Glennons quickly emerged as the chief suspects.
The gunman involved in yesterday's murder is described as 5ft 8in tall and aged between 25 and 35 years. He was not masked and wore only glasses as a disguise.
Supt Gabriel McIntyre of Blanchardstown Garda station appealed for anybody who was in the Hazelwood estate or around the Hartstown Road yesterday between 3.30pm and 4pm to contact them on 01-6667000.
