Gardaí have stepped up armed patrols in Dublin after a suspected gunman died and another man was wounded in what detectives believe was a botched gangland shooting on Christmas Eve.
The attack occurred at a restaurant in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, which was packed with people, including families, when the incident took place.
The man who died is believed to have been stabbed after entering Browne’s Steakhouse shortly before 8pm with a gun and targeting two men, who are understood to be close associates.
One of those men, who is in his 40s, was shot and wounded. He survived and was taken to hospital, where on Christmas Day his condition was said to be serious. The second man, in his 20s, was not hurt.
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The two men are well known to gardaí and have come to the attention of members of the force very recently for alleged criminal activity.
When the gunman, who was also in his 20s, entered the restaurant, a number of people grabbed their children and fled to safety, according to videos circulating on social media.
It is understood he was stabbed more than two dozen times by other restaurant customers who disarmed and attacked the gunman after his weapon jammed. His suspected accomplice fled the scene and remains at large.
A firearm was recovered at the scene and has been sent for analysis by Garda ballistics experts.
No arrests have been made.
Gardaí confirmed the attack took place at a premises on Main Street, Blanchardstown.
“Two males were later taken to James Connolly Memorial Hospital to receive medical treatment,” said a statement from Garda Headquarters.
“One of these males, aged in his 20s, was pronounced deceased in hospital a short time afterwards. A second man, aged in his 40s, is receiving treatment for gunshot wounds and is in a serious condition.”
A postmortem is due to be held on the body of the dead man at the Dublin District Mortuary, Whitehall, on St Stephen’s Day. While the results are not expected to be known for between 24 and 48 hours, early indications are he suffered fatal stab wounds.
Gardaí, who have set up an incident room at Blanchardstown Garda station, are gathering CCTV footage from inside the premises in a bid to piece together the circumstances of the incident.
A number of people recorded footage of the attack, with those videos also expected to inform the Garda investigation. Gardaí have appealed for members of the public not the share the videos online.
“We are appealing to the public for these videos not to be further distributed,” a Garda spokesman said. “We are also appealing to the public to be aware of a significant level of speculation, misinformation and disinformation which is in circulation.”
Gardaí said they had increased uniform patrols in Dublin with support from armed patrols, including the Garda Armed Support Unit.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was shocked to hear about the shooting “in a well known family restaurant I’ve visited many times”.
He thanked gardaí and offered solidarity to staff and customers at the restaurant.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the fact the attack had taken place where families had gathered was “disgusting”.
“This viciousness has resulted in unimaginable human suffering this Christmas,” she said. “That anyone could perpetrate such violence as families gathered together is especially disgusting.
“I’m thinking of the bereaved, those who were at the scene and indeed all the emergency service personnel working tonight and over Christmas who have to deal with this senseless violence.
“I call on anyone with information of any kind to contact An Garda Síochána.”
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