When a gunman dressed as a woman opened fire in a busy car park it was lucky that only one person died, a witness at a murder trial said on Monday.
Mark Kelly is a member of the Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club and was talking to fellow pigeon enthusiast Keith Walker in the club car park when a gunman in a wig and women's gym clothes walked up and shot Mr Walker with a sub-machine gun. Mr Kelly told the trial of Christopher McDonald that there were children nearby and it was "lucky there wasn't more people killed".
Mr McDonald (34), from East Wall area of Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker on June 12th, 2015 in the car park of the Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club on Shelerin Road, Clonsilla. The trial has previously heard from State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy that the deceased was shot 18 times in the head and body.
Mr Kelly told prosecuting counsel Denis Vaughan Buckley SC that he went to the club that Friday evening to enter some pigeons for two races taking place over the weekend. While there he met Keith Walker and spoke to him for about 25 minutes. He said he had never met Mr Walker before but that he was the “type of young fella that would talk to anyone”.
Firing shots
As they talked he remembered seeing a man dressed as a woman, with a black wig, ski pants and white shoes, enter the car park and pull out what he thought was a machine gun. Mr Kelly said he moved away from Mr Walker as the gunman started firing. “He blew him to bits,” he added. Mr Kelly attempted to give CPR but Mr Walker had died.
Brian Duffy told Mr Vaughan Buckley that he also witnessed the shooting. He said he saw Mr Walker driving into the car park in a car that belonged to another man named Jason O'Connor. Some time later, as club members gathered in the car park waiting for their pigeons to be called, he heard Paul Foster say, "that's a hit man". When he looked Mr Duffy saw a man reach into his bag.
“I knew exactly what was going on,” he said, so he ducked behind a van. He then heard what sounded like fire-crackers going off and by the time he stood up the gunman was gone and Mr Walker was lying on the ground.
Justice Patrick McCarthy asked the jury of six men and six women to return on Wednesday as there is a legal issue in the trial to be considered by him.