Killer Dublin gang had bugged the car of intended victim
THE true target of a double gangland murder in north Dublin had a tracker placed on his car in the days before the brutal killings, it has emerged.
Detectives believe that Ballymun criminal Derek Devoy (37) was the individual that two gunmen were aiming to shoot when they opened fire at a property on Balbutcher Drive, Ballymun, at 4pm on Wednesday.
However, Devoy managed to flee over the back garden wall after dropping a young toddler he was holding.
Tragically, his sister and mother-of-six Antoinette Corbally-Devoy (48), as well as his friend Clinton Shannon (30), were fatally wounded in the atrocity.
The pregnant daughter of Ms Corbally-Devoy, Andrea (18), was also grazed by a bullet, while innocent bystander Brian Moran (52) was shot in the leg.
Last night it emerged that the Garda was made aware that Devoy had found the tracking device, which his enemies were using to monitor his movements.
It is understood the device was handed over to detectives. The Garda is also probing if a bitter local dispute that has been simmering for 18 months led to the shocking double killing.
This included the attempted murder of Ballymun criminal Glen Kiely in January of this year.
Kiely, who has more than 40 previous convictions, was shot in the groin outside a property on Balcurris Park West.
A number of revenge attacks were carried out over a 36-hour period before the double murder as part of the dispute.
A house in Belclare Avenue was shot up at 1am on Wednesday, just 15 hours before the double murder in nearby Balbutcher Drive.
In the shooting on Wednesday morning, the criminals targeted the wrong property.
The occupants of the Belclare Avenue address are described as “entirely innocent”.
Hi-visibility armed patrols have increased in the Ballymun area following Wednesday’s gangland killings.
Detectives fear that further reprisal attacks will be carried out as part of the feud.
The Garda is also investigating reports that Devoy was spotted topless and storming around streets near his home in the early hours of Thursday “screaming and roaring”.
“Obviously, this is a very, very serious situation. Devoy has been advised to leave Dublin for a few days but he is not an individual who normally listens to Garda advice,” a senior source said.
“Ballymun is going to be on lockdown now. The word is that ‘Bottler’ (Devoy) was going around like an absolute nutter. He loved his sister, he is completely devastated. Everyone is worried about what happens next.”
Sources also confirmed that Devoy was recently warned by officers about an active threat on his life as part of the Ballymun feud.
Police have established that two gunmen fired up to 20 shots at the north Dublin property during Wednesday’s attack.
A sub machine-gun and a handgun were used in the killings, and have since been recovered.