Shooting could have been a massacre

A BIRTHDAY banner hung crookedly across the door of the house where a young mother was blasted to death as she celebrated a party with friends.

The remains of a terracotta plant pot lay scattered around outside and gardaí used the fragments to hold down upturned plastic cups covering cartridge cases and other potential pieces of evidence strewn on the road.

The shattered panes of the living room window showed where the gunmen fired, knowing the room behind the glass was crowded with innocent people, obliviously enjoying a party for their friend.

Donna Cleary was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shocked neighbours could only shake their heads in disbelief and wonder how no one else was killed as the bullets sprayed the packed house.

“It could have been anyone,” said a furious local man who called to check in on his grandchildren after hearing about the shooting.

“It could have been her behind that door or standing by that window,” he said, nodding to his five-year-old granddaughter who scooted up and down the driveway telling all who would listen that a lady up at her little friend, Chelsea’s, house was after being killed.

A neighbour a few doors down had stayed up to the early hours to watch the Joe Calzaghe boxing match when he heard the commotion. “I heard the bangs and I went out on the road and there were people screaming. The guards came very quickly and an ambulance and it was just pandemonium. But that’s all I knew of what happened - I didn’t hear anything before that.”Another near neighbour agreed that there was no sound or sign of trouble before the shooting.

“I was up watching telly because I was waiting for my own daughter to come home. There wasn’t a sinner out before that, but then there was all screaming and girls crying. It’s unbelievable. I can’t understand it.” The party, a 40th birthday celebration for local woman Edel Murtagh, began on Saturday night at the local GAA club before moving back to Ms Murtagh’s sister’s house at Adare Green in Coolock on Dublin’s northside. Superintendent Noel McLoughlin who is leading the investigation described the gathering as a “nice, social evening that people were enjoying“. He said there was no evidence of any incident prior to the three suspects arriving at the door at about 2am and being turned away.

It is thought that when the men returned a half hour later, they may not even have got out of the car but simply rolled down the window and fired at random. It is believed at least five shots were fired before they sped away, leaving their victim dying in the arms of horrified friends.

A number of people are believed to have witnessed the scene first hand as a taxi had just pulled up bringing passengers to the house, but it was dark and panic broke out quickly.

Supt McLoughlin was unable to issue a description of the men last night, but detectives spent the afternoon interviewing guests at the party and neighbours in Adare Green and were confident of tracking down their suspects who were so brazen they did not even bother to mask their faces.Footage from private security cameras at nearby Northside Shopping Centre and from other premises in the area will also be examined to trace the exact movements of the silver car.

At Castlekevin Road where Ms Cleary lived, a steady stream of relatives and friends filed into the house to offer support to her devastated parents and two brothers.