Gardaí investigating a fatal stabbing in Cahersiveen, Co Kerry in the early hours of Wednesday have recovered a knife and removed a car from the scene for further examination.
A 33-year-old man, named locally as Robert Elston from north Co Kerry, died after being wounded at around 4am on Wednesday in the Fertha Drive housing estate.
It is believed a car was damaged in the estate and then a pursuit ensued before a fight broke out in which Mr Elston was wounded. He was treated by paramedics at the scene but died while being taken by ambulance to University Hospital Kerry in Tralee.
A 20-year-old man was arrested after the incident and taken to Killarney Garda station where he is being held under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 . He received medical attention in custody.
Part of the Fertha Drive estate was sealed off on Wednesday as members of the Garda Technical Bureau searched areas including in a lane way, two houses and a car for evidence.
Mr Elston, who was originally from Lisselton, was unemployed and was known to gardaí having appeared in court charged over matters including alcohol related public order offences.
Visiting
His ex-partner and young son live in Fertha Drive and it is understood he was visiting them earlier in the day.
Fr Larry Kelly, parish priest in Cahersiveen, said the people of the town had been deeply affected by the incident. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and all those involved.”
Alan Landers, chairman of the community centre in the Carneige building on Main Street in Cahersiveen, said locals were concerned about the frequency of late night rows there in recent years. He said he was not commenting on Wednesday’s incident but rather a wider issue with violence in the town.
District Court Judge James O’Connor has warned about a rise in violence in Cahersiveen, on one occasion asking what was wrong in the town that so many late night street incidents were occurring.
He said in December 2016 that people were being kicked on the ground, including in the head, and that the kind of incidents occurring in Cahersiveen between gangs of men was not common elsewhere in Kerry.
Mr Landers said there had been “very little deterrent imposed on people involved in violence – other than the court poor box and people have been expressing concern over this”.