US murder victim brought home by family

THE BODY of an Irishman shot dead as he walked along a street in Chicago was flown home yesterday morning ahead of a funeral service in his local South Dublin church tomorrow.

Barry Cunnane’s parents, his brother and sister accompanied the body home on the eight-hour overnight flight to Dublin.

Fr Paul Dunne, curate in the parish of Sandyford, said the family were yesterday resting after a gruelling week in the United States.

Mr Cunnane, a 27-year-old aspiring actor, was shot dead in an apparently motiveless attack as he walked along the street with a friend early on Saturday a week ago. He will be buried in Glencullen Cemetery tomorrow following an 11am funeral Mass in St Mary’s Church. The body will be removed to the church at 5pm tonight.

Fr Dunne, who went to see the Cunnane family on their return home, said they were highly thought of members of the community.

“It will be a big funeral, with people from the parish and many in the acting community,” he said. “It’s been very rough for them and they are resting after the journey.”

Barry’s parents, Monica and Frank, flew out to Chicago after hearing that their son had been injured in the early morning shooting in the Ravenswood area of the city. However, before they arrived at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Centre, their son, who had lived in Chicago for six years, died.

They were told of the shooting by their other son, Frank Jnr, who lives in Chicago, as does their daughter, Kathryn.

Chicago police have vowed they will hunt down Barry’s murderer. Patrick Camden, of the Chicago Police Department, said: “Once we run the offender down, and we will, the one thing we are going to ask him is what was going through his mind when he shot Barry in the head.”

Mr Camden said there had been no arrests in relation to the fatal shooting and that no-one had been taken into custody.

“Until we find the offender, it’s going to be very difficult to find out what the motive was,” he said. “But there is a motive to it somewhere.”

Friends in Chicago held a memorial service for the young man last Thursday at his local church in the city, St Bonaventure's Catholic Church.

Mr Cunnane was walking with the friend along the street when he was shot. The pair moved aside to let two men pass, but one turned to Barry and made the comment “what’s up” before shooting him in the head.