GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the fatal shooting of a man in a gangland-style attack believe he was killed by a former criminal associate with whom he had clashed.
A second man wounded in the attack in Dublin on Thursday night is recovering in hospital.
The dead man was John Berney, originally from Croftwood Drive in Ballyfermot. The 29-year-old father of four was shot dead in an upstairs bedroom at his home in Castlelyon Drive, Newcastle, west Dublin, at 10.30pm. His was the fourth gun murder this year.
Gardaí believe the masked killer, who was armed with a handgun, entered the house via the hall door and climbed the stairs.
He went into the bedroom where Mr Berney and his partner were preparing to go to bed. The gunman then opened fire, wounding Mr Berney in the upper body and head. He then ran down the stairs but as he attempted to leave the house he was confronted by a 22-year-old man in the hallway. The killer fired another shot, wounding the second man before escaping. Mr Berney was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, who was wounded in the neck, was taken to Tallaght hospital and has since been transferred to St James's Hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening.
Both he and Mr Berney had been out socialising and had just returned to the house when the killer struck.
Gardaí believe the victim was killed in a well-planned attack and that he had been under surveillance by his killer for some time.
Two of the dead man's children, aged one and three, were in the house asleep in another bedroom. Mr Berney also had two other children.
The killer is believed to have escaped in a Ford Focus. It was found on fire shortly after the murder at Glebe Close, not far from the murder scene.
A handgun found in the vehicle is believed to be the murder weapon. Detectives believe the dead man was involved in organised crime and suspect he had handled firearms in the past. They also believe he was involved in the drugs trade with criminals from Ballyfermot and Tallaght.
Mr Berney knew his life was in danger and had recently moved from Brookfield in Tallaght to Newcastle in an effort to keep a low profile. His links to criminal activities were being studied last night in an effort to determine why he was killed and by whom.
The dead man had a large number of convictions and had been sent to prison at least six times.
Most of his convictions related to public order offences and violence committed while drunk. He had been due to appear in court yesterday morning on a drunk and disorderly charge.
His most serious conviction was for actual bodily harm for which he was imprisoned for 18 months in January 2001. At the time of his murder he was facing charges of producing a weapon during an altercation and also in relation to contravening a barring order. He also had convictions for being abusive to gardaí and for a range of driving offences, including car thefts.
Supt John Quirke, who is leading the investigation, said that while Mr Berney's partner witnessed the attack, she and her two children were not physically harmed. She was "very traumatised", he said
He appealed for people who were in the Castlelyon estate or in Newcastle village around the time of the killing to contact gardaí at Clondalkin on 01-6667600.