Gardaí prepare DPP file after man fires shots at teenager's funeral

GARDAI are to send a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions following a shooting incident at a funeral of a teenager who died in a garda station over Christmas.

Detectives in the Crumlin area of south Dublin chased and arrested a man who allegedly fired shots over the heads of mourners as the body of heroin addict Paul Magee was being buried.

The man, a local, was not carrying any weapon, and gardaí at Sundrive Road and Crumlin stations have been carrying out searches.

“Shots were allegedly fired by a male at Mount Jerome cemetery. A male was pursued by gardaí and arrested and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. A file will go to the DPP,” said Supt John Manley of Crumlin Station.

The incident happened on New Year’s Day and followed an apparent heated row at the funeral mass in nearby St Bernadette’s Church on Clogher Road.

It is believed some members of Mr Magee’s family confronted a known drug dealer who was at the mass.

They claimed the dealer had supplied Mr Magee with “bad” heroin at a house party in the Dolphin House flat complex in the south inner city on Christmas night.

A fist fight is thought to have occurred and the man left the church.

The dealer later went to Mount Jerome Cemetery in nearby Harold’s Cross, where the burial was taking place, and allegedly fired shots over the heads of mourners, causing them to dive for cover.

The gunman fled but was pursued. A man was caught by officers from Sundrive Station.

Gardaí are now trying to locate the fired bullets, as well as the weapon, and are interviewing witnesses.

Some of the people who were at the party in Dolphin House were linked to the supply of so-called contaminated or bad heroin that is claimed to have killed eight heroin addicts in Dublin in the early summer of 2000.

Paul Magee, 19, from Rutland Grove, Crumlin, had been thrown out of the party on Dolphin House but later came back with a knife and threatened people.

Gardaí were called and arrested him under the Public Order Act and took him to Kilmainham Station.

Magee, who had previous convictions, was “exceptionally violent” in the station and made a racket in his cell, but later went quiet.

Gardaí await toxicology tests to show what he had taken and an outside investigation is underway.