Motive for fatal double shooting still unclear
Gardaí said they had still not uncovered any obvious possible motives for the “callous” double murder, which occurred at a filling station in Finglas, north Dublin, just before midnight.
Both men, Glen Murphy, 20, and Mark Noonan, 23, were from neighbouring local authority estates in Dublin’s north inner city.
Neither had any known associations with gangs or organised crime.
Mr Murphy, from Drumalee estate, and Mr Noonan, from O’Deavaney Gardens flats complex, both off the North Circular Road, were shot dead by a gang of at least two armed men and a driver as they went to purchase cigarettes and snacks at the Tesco Garage on Finglas Road.
Their attackers, described by gardaí as “well-organised” and “clinical”, had been waiting for them for up to five minutes beforehand in a BMW 5 series.
When the victims’ Toyota Avensis pulled up, Mr Noonan went over to the hatch and Mr Murphy got out of the passenger side.
The gang’s BMW pulled up behind them and the gunmen opened fire.
They shot Mr Noonan in the back of his head and fired at Mr Murphy from behind.
As their car crawled up alongside the Avensis, the rear passenger gunman got out and continued firing at Mr Murphy from behind.
As the car rolled forward, the front-seat gunman was able to shoot Mr Murphy from the front. Gardaí said the gang was gone in 30 seconds and fired up to 18 shots in total.
Gardaí are mystified as to why two young men, who were not on their radar, were killed by a hit squad.
Pairs of detectives have been tasked with investigating avenues.
“One team is looking at their personal histories, relationships and so on,” said a Garda source.
“Another team will look at their history of drug use, did they owe money, who are the local dealers?”
He said the cousins did use drugs, like many youths in the area, but did not appear to be in debt.
“They might have been involved in a bit of messing, maybe seen with people, but it’s hard to know were they associates of anyone. But they were not in a gang and were not dealing.”
He said gardaí did not know of any lost drugs that might explain such a killing.
The garda said the pair were not informants, which could also have been a motive.
Gardaí are gathering mobile phone numbers of the victims, people close to them, and others, for any clues.
If the duo had arranged to meet someone at the garage, texts or calls might be on their phones.
GARDAÍ seized three luxury vehicles worth up to €200,000 and €100,000 in cash when they raided nine premises linked to a suspected Traveller gang in Co Mayo.
The garda team also seized a “quantity of valuable jewellery” and a substantial amount of documentation in a planned operation “targeting organised crime” in the Ballina and general north Mayo area.
Nine premises, including seven residential properties and two professional offices, thought to be solicitors, were raided.
Up to 70 gardaí took part, comprising members from the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), the Regional Support Unit, the Divisional Search Team and Scenes of Crime Office supported by local detectives and uniformed gardaí.
They seized three luxury vehicles, including a high-end Land Rover 4x4, worth €100,000, a Mercedes C class saloon, worth €50,000 and a luxury Toyota 4x4, worth up to €40,000.
Gardaí also seized €100,000 in cash, including £3,000 sterling.
The CAB will now begin the lengthy process of examining the documentation seized.
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