THE KILLER of a man in Dublin city centre on Tuesday evening arrived and left the scene on a bicycle, gardaí said yesterday.
A man in his 20s and a teenage boy remained in custody last night following the shooting dead of convicted criminal Stephen “Madser” Byrne (32) in Sheriff Street in the capital.
Mr Byrne, from Mariners Port, was shot dead at approximately 4.40pm at the junction of St Laurence Place East and Sheriff Street in the north inner city.
The killing is believed by gardaí to be linked to a gangland feud that has now claimed five lives and resulted in sustained violence for nearly eight years. The 17th gun murder in the State this year, it occurred outside St Laurence O’Toole Church.
Gardaí had warned Byrne that his life was in danger and he often wore a bullet-proof vest. He was the chief suspect for a gangland killing over three years ago, which was linked to the Sheriff Street feud, and he had a string of convictions.
Mr Byrne was lured from his house by a caller. Once outside, he was chased on to Sheriff Street by a gunman armed with a handgun who shot him twice, in the eye and upper body.
Gardaí said yesterday Mr Byrne had been standing with a number of other people from the area before the shooting.
During a media briefing yesterday, Supt Frank Clerkin, who is leading the investigation, said the group was approached by a man on a bicycle from the direction of Laurence’s Place East.
The man dismounted and walked over to the group holding a gun. Several people fled the scene and the gunman shot Mr Byrne before cycling back along St Laurence’s Place East in the direction of Seville Place.
No one else was injured.
Gardaí have appealed to motorists or pedestrians on Seville Place at the time who may have seen the gunman cycling along the road to contact them.
“We don’t have a great description of him but we feel he was young because he seemed to be fairly agile in his movements, he was wearing a grey hoodie and a balaclava, and he was on a black pedal cycle,” Supt Clerkin said. “It was unlikely that he was wearing this balaclava as he was cycling to and from the crime.”
Gardaí said the gunman made his way on to Seville Place in the direction of, but not as far as, the Five Lamps. “We are looking for anybody who may have seen him turning left or right after he got on to Seville Place to contact us.”
An incident room has been established at Store Street Garda station and the public asked to ring the 24-hour lines on (01) 666 8000 or (01) 666 8089 with any information.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said in Dublin yesterday that the killing was “an awful worry” and he urged the public to assist gardaí in their investigation. “All we can do is plead with the general public to come forward and give whatever information they have,” he said.
Mr Ahern said Ireland had the toughest laws in western Europe when it came to gangland crime and he singled out the recently introduced legislation allowing the use of covert surveillance in court.
He said there was no other legislation the Government could introduce, other than internment. “I don’t think we are going to go down that road,” he said.