A man fatally shot in south Dublin on Sunday had gone to a pre-arranged meeting before being wounded in the leg and bleeding to death, gardaí believe.
It is the first fatal shooting in Ireland since 2024 and comes as gun crime has been trending lower in the Republic in recent years.
The victim, Mark Cullen, who was 39 and from Shankill in south Dublin, was fatally wounded at about 8.30am at Patrician Park, Kill Avenue in Dún Laoghaire, in a suspected intimidation or punishment attack gone wrong.
It appears the shooting occurred at a laneway but that Cullen tried to move from the scene to seek help before succumbing to his injuries.
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Gardaí suspect the gunman intended to wound the victim in the leg, rather than kill him. However, the injury was so severe Cullen bled to death at the scene.
Investigating gardaí believe he had links to a number of men involved in drug dealing in south Dublin. However, detectives have not established whether the shooting was linked to organised crime or to a personal dispute.
Gardaí have no knowledge of Cullen being involved in feuding linked to organised crime and there appears to be no intelligence suggesting his life was in danger.
Fianna Fáil councillor Justin Moylan said there was a great level of shock in the community. “It is a quiet, residential area and it’s something that would not happen in this area, ever,” he said. “It’s certainly not an area you would expect to see a fatal shooting in.”
Fine Gael councillor Frank McNamara said it was “shocking” and “completely out of character” for the neighbourhood.
“This is a beautiful, quiet and peaceful area that has always been safe and this event is shocking because it is totally out of the blue and completely out of character.”
An elderly resident who has been living locally for most of his life also described the incident as “shocking”.
“I only heard about it on the news a few moments ago. It is a very quiet area with very nice people,” he said. “It is terrible when something like this happens, and my heart goes out to the family and people involved.”
When Cullen’s remains were discovered, a significant Garda operation began, with a large scene cordoned off and road closures put in place, including at Kill Avenue and Glenageary Road Upper.
The victim’s remains were left in situ for much of the day pending the arrival of a pathologist to carry out a preliminary examination before removal for a full postmortem.
“A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Dún Laoghaire Garda station,” the Garda said.
Sunday’s killing comes at a time of relative calm in gun crime in the Republic. Fatal shootings and other firearms offences – including possession or discharge of firearms – have plummeted since the Kinahan-Hutch feud petered out about eight years ago.
Last year marked the first year for decades in which no lives were lost in shooting incidents in the State, either through gangland attacks or domestic incidents.
However, gardaí have become increasingly concerned with the rising level of violence in localised feuds in Limerick and parts of Dublin, which have involved a small number of non-fatal shootings.
