A small number of bouquets yesterday lay against the garden wall of the two-storey terraced house in Clondalkin, Dublin, that Damien Dowdall and his girlfriend Debbie Quinn had shared since last December.
Mr Dowdall, a printer, was raised off the nearby Nangor Road, while Ms Quinn's former family home is directly behind the well-kept house on Lealand Road where she watched as her boyfriend was shot in the head on Tuesday night.
The house remained sealed off yesterday as Garda forensic experts examined the scene. A large number of officers carried out door-to-door inquiries across the estate and questioned passing motorists throughout the day.
Neighbours in the quiet estate struggled to proffer a motive for Mr Dowdall's killing.
But one resident criticised Minister for Justice Michael McDowell over the recent spate of gun crimes. "All you hear is rhetoric from the Minister who is meant to put every gun out of existence. All he does is put up posters. That needles me . . . He doesn't know what's going on."
Having lived in the area for 30 years, he knew Debbie Quinn's family before they moved from the estate a few years ago.
Ms Quinn's mother died late last year. "I didn't know (Mr Dowdall), but the Quinns were a very nice family. Brilliant, every one of them," he said.
Across the road, a young mother who moved to the area recently, said news of the murder "on my doorstep" shocked her.
According to Fr Joe Beere, the local parish priest, the killing gave a jolt that was felt across the Bawnogue parish, and most keenly by those who knew the affected families.
"I went to see Debbie's father today. He was really devastated. It has an awful effect on a community, such a callous murder," he said.
"Our hearts go out as a community to both families and we'll pray for them in the coming days."
The dead man's parents, Damien and Carol, arrived at the house yesterday afternoon and laid flowers at the scene of the crime. "Damien," read one card. "Not a day will pass that you'll not be missed by everyone that knew and loved you. Dad."
