Gardaí have launched a murder inquiry into the fatal assault of a 60-year-old man in west Dublin in the early hours of Saturday morning. The dead man has been named as Adnan Asic who was from Bosnia and had lived in Ireland for over 30 years.
Gardaí said Mr Asic, a single man who was regarded as vulnerable, was walking towards Blanchardstown Road North from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin, just after 2.30am on Saturday when he was “violently assaulted and has died as a result of his injuries”.
The victim was discovered at the junction of Navan Road and Blanchardstown Road North and the emergency services were alerted at about 2.50am. However, while Mr Asic was treated at the scene by paramedics before being take to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, he was pronounced dead at the hospital early on Saturday morning.
The results of a postmortem carried out at Dublin city Mortuary, Marino, by State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan concluded he died after being assaulted.
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The Irish Times understands from sources he was “very severely beaten” in what was described as an extreme attack. The motivation or circumstances around the fatal assault were still unclear and Mr Asic was described as a very quiet man who was not known to gardaí.
He had been out socialising with at least one friend on Friday night into Saturday morning and was walking home when he was assaulted. Gardaí in Blanchardstown investigating his death have gathered CCTV from the area around the busy junction where Mr Asic was found.
Garda sources said the junction where Mr Asic was found injured was a busy one, adding drivers would have been passing around the time of the assault.
Investigators were hopeful some of those who drove through the area would come forward following several public appeals for information by the Garda and confirmation that Mr Asic’s death was being treated as murder.
The dead man is not believed to have any immediate family in the Republic, though some of his extended family live in the State. He was predeceased by his parents and efforts to make contact with other members of his immediate family in Bosnia were continuing.
An incident room has been established at Blanchardstown Garda station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the murder inquiry. Gardaí have also appointed a liaison officer to aid Mr Asic’s relatives in Ireland and inform those in Bosnia of progress in the inquiry.
The scene where he was found was also sealed off and secured overnight into Saturday morning. It underwent a forensic examination by the members of the Garda Technical Bureau on Saturday and through Sunday.
Anyone who was in the area of Blanchardstown Road North, the Old Navan Road, the N3 Mulhuddart flyover or Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and surrounding areas between 12am and 3am has been asked to come forward by the investigation team at Blanchardstown Garda station. They are particularly keen to speak to any road users, with a special appeal to taxi drivers, who may have recorded dashcam or other footage.
