Lone shooter kills man in bed with girlfriend

A YOUNG man shot dead in his bed may have been killed because of a petty dispute over damage to property.

Bricklayer Martin Kenny was lying in bed with his girlfriend when he was shot dead by a lone gunman early on Saturday.

He is the seventh person to be shot dead since the start of April, six of them in Dublin.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Kenny, who had no known criminal connections, was shot several times.

The 22-year-old had been involved in a feud with a group of other young men from his home area of Ballyfermot for at least a year. It is believed the feud developed over damage to property.

Mr Kenny’s father Kevin appealed for anyone with information to speak with the gardaí.

“Martin was a good young lad,” he said.

The gunman entered the house on Ballyfermot Parade around 5am and made his way up the stairs towards the bedroom.

Mr Kenny woke and is thought to have been rising from his bed when the gunman entered the bedroom and shot him at close range.

He died instantly.

The gunman, who wore a balaclava and a black bomber jacket, ran out of the house and fled the area, initially on foot.

The girlfriend’s 14-year-old brother was also in the house at the time of the shooting.

The murder, if it was over what began as a minor dispute, further reveals a disturbing trend in gangland-type executions.

At least four of the other six victims are believed to have been murdered because of personal disputes.

The head of the garda investigation has said gardaí are following several lines of inquiry into the killing.

Superintendent Gabriel McIntyre said that at this stage gardaí did not believe the shooting was linked to any of the other recent spate of gangland-type killings.

Gardaí have asked for anyone in the vicinity of Ballyfermot Parade, Kylemore Road or Le Fanu Road at around 5am on Saturday morning to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station on 01 666 7200.