A teenager suspected of fatally stabbing Vadym Davydenko (17) at an apartment in north Dublin on Wednesday has been arrested. The suspect sustained injuries during the violent incident and had been undergoing medical treatment.
However, he is the only suspect in the case and on Friday gardaí were given permission to interview him, leading to his arrest.
Mariya Stanukh, co-ordinator of the Association of Ukrainians in the Republic of Ireland, said people were “in shock” and “very concerned” about difficulties Vadym Davydenko’s family may face raising funds to repatriate his body.
She spoke to The Irish Times as a family friend in Kyiv appealed for help raising up to €8,000 for the repatriation. In a social media post the friend, understood to the parent of a friend of Vadym Davydenko in Kyiv said: “Friends, I ask you for help. My son’s friend was killed yesterday. The tragedy happened in the city of Dublin. In two weeks, Vadym would have turned 18.
RM Block
“He flew to Ireland on Sunday and died from multiple stab wounds on Wednesday. The Consulate of Ukraine in Ireland takes on the organization of transportation, and all costs have to be covered by parents... Parents don’t have money. I ask everyone to help bring the child home.”
[ Ukrainian teen Vadym Davydenko killed in Dublin had only just arrived in IrelandOpens in new window ]
Ms Stanukh said: “It is very shocking for us. You can see from his photograph he was a very beautiful young man. We plan to have a tribute for him, maybe float some flowers on the river, this weekend. Everyone is feeling very emotional,” she said.
A large number of witnesses have already been spoken to, including people in the apartment at the time of the killing and others who arrived on the scene in the aftermath.
“The male juvenile that was receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries has been arrested on suspicion of murder,” the Garda confirmed in a statement of Friday’s arrest.
“[He is] currently detained under section four of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda station in the Dublin metropolitan region.”
The scene remains preserved and is subject to examination, gardaí added.
“The post-mortem examination on the body of the deceased has since been completed, the results of which are not being released for operational reasons.”
Gardaí added they were continuing to investigate “all of the circumstances” of the incident that claimed the life of the Ukrainian teenager at the apartment in the Grattan Wood complex in Donaghmede, Dublin 13, just after 11am on Wednesday.
The apartment was being run by a private contractor on behalf of Tusla, the child and family agency. It housed four teenage boys, from three different countries, who had arrived in the Republic as unaccompanied minors.
A female care worker needed medical treatment for a wound sustained in the incident. She appears to have made an effort to intervene, as did two other boys who were in the apartment at the time.
Tusla confirmed it was a residential unit in north Dublin that provides 24-hour care. It also said the facility provided care to those seeking international protection.
“Our immediate priority is the safety and wellbeing of the other young people and staff at this unit. We are providing additional supports to everyone directly affected and making efforts to contact the families of the young people who were residing there,” it said.
