Killers hunted after fatal shooting

A 49-year-old man has been shot dead in a gun attack on a halting site.

The man, named locally as Thomas MacDonagh, was gunned down at the Traveller site where he lived in the Ballymun area of north Dublin.

It is believed two men carried out the gun murder.

Gardaí appealed for witnesses who may have seen the suspects climb over a fence on to the M50 just before the Finglas exit on the southbound side of the motorway.

Detectives believe a car was waiting in the area to help them make their getaway.

Another car, a dark coloured Nissan Qashqai, thought to have been used in the attack was found burnt out at Mayeston on St Margaret’s Road near the motorway.

It is believed the gunmen drove into the halting site known as St Margaret’s and pulled up outside Mr MacDonagh’s mobile home.

Superintendent John Gilligan said detectives believe they know how the attackers fled the scene.

“We believe that the two people involved in the shooting incident left the caravan park, took a left and headed towards Finglas,” he said.

“They then abandoned their car, which we think is a dark-coloured Nissan Qashqai, and set it on fire.

“They then ran through bushes and climbed over a fence down onto the M50 and made their escape on the south-bound route.”

Several shots were fired through the door of the mobile home in the attack.

Gardaí said the killing was carried out at 9.50pm last night.

Mr MacDonagh, believed to have a father of three daughters, was rushed to the Mater Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Gardaí appealed for witnesses who may have seen a vehicle waiting or acting suspiciously close to the Finglas exit between 9.45pm and 10pm on Saturday night.

Two crime scenes were sealed off after the killing – the halting site and where the burnt out Nissan was discovered.

Travellers in the halting site described the shock in the normally quiet area.

Local man Eoin MacDonagh said: “Nobody saw or heard anything. There’s a lot of cars coming in and out.

“People are in shock. This is the first time this has happened.

“A lot of people are upset – he has a lot of family members here.”