SHOT Dead In HIS FRONT Garden
Drug dealer, 42, blasted multiple times by gangland hitman
A DRUG dealer was blasted to death in his front garden yesterday in a brutal gangland hit.
David Lynch, 42, was shot multiple times in the head, neck and thigh in the daylight killing in the Foxdene area of Clondalkin, West Dublin.
Gardai are understood to have a number of theories, including that he may have been involved in the killing of Mark “The Guinea Pig” Desmond.
He was also suspected of involvement in a bloody feud that has claimed a number of lives in the Lucan and Clondalkin areas.
A source said: “David Lynch was shot outside his house. He was a one-time target of the Criminal Assets Bureau and paid them €160,000 in a settlement.”
A GANGLAND feud suspect was gunned down outside his parents’ home yesterday.
David Lynch was shot multiple times in the ruthless attack in the Ronanstown area of Clondalkin, West Dublin.
The 42-year-old was in the garden of the house in Foxdene Avenue, where he often stayed, when he was hit once in the head and leg and twice in the neck.
Gardai have said it is too early to speculate on a motive but one theory is the victim may have been involved in the murder of Mark “The Guinea Pig” Desmond.
Lynch has also been linked to a bloody gangland feud that has claimed a number of lives in the Clondalkin and Lucan areas. A source revealed last night: “David Lynch was shot outside his house. He was a onetime target of the Criminal Assets Bureau and paid them €160,000 in a settlement.
“He was a well-known criminal and had been a prolific car thief back in the early 2000s.
“He was suspected of involvement in the drug trade and that’s why the CAB were looking at him.
“He was also suspected of some involvement in the murder of Mark Desmond who was killed in a shooting in Griffeen Park.”
It is understood Lynch, who was unemployed, had a partner but no children. Gardai believe three crime scenes and a recovered firearm are linked to yesterday’s murder.
Technical bureau officers combed Foxdene Avenue and further areas at Buirg an Ri Glen, Clondalkin, and Paddocks Rise, Lucan, where vehicles were found burnt out. Supt Paul Dolan described the attack as a “cold, callous crime at 2pm on a busy day with a man going about his business in a residential area”.
He added: “We do have patrols in the area and in areas close by and we’ll be revisiting those patrols with a view to allay public concerns.”
Gardai found a Peugeot Partner-type
I think we need more resources put into area so people feel safe
CLLR TREVOR GILLIGAN
CLONDALKIN YESTERDAY
van burnt out beside a school at Buirg an Ri Glen. A firearm was located beside the vehicle. A silver Toyota, which had also been torched, was discovered at Paddocks Rise.
Supt Dolan said: “We believe all three incidents are connected. All scenes have been preserved and the investigation is ongoing.”
He appealed for anyone who saw or heard anything of a suspicious nature in the vicinity of 51 Foxdene Avenue in the past few days to get in touch.
He added: “I’m also appealing to anyone who spotted two vehicles, a Peugeot Partner-type van and a silver Toyota Corolla, acting suspiciously in any of the areas.”
Supt Dolan said he had no further information on whether the killer or killers may have changed cars. Shocked locals last night said they couldn’t believe what had happened, the shooting having occurred less than half an hour before children at the Divine Mercy Junior National School – just 500m from the scene – were due to finish up for the day. One business owner added: “I didn’t hear any gunfire or anything like that, but it wasn’t hard to tell something had gone down. I just saw three or four police cars initially, followed by more, but I never thought it would be a shooting so early in the day.”
Local Cllr Trevor Gilligan said: “It’s a tight-knit community which is a shame because it’s a few bad apples that are ruining it. I think the gardai are doing their job very well but I definitely think we need more resources put into the area in the immediate future so the people feel safe.”
A number of murders have been carried out in the bloody feud gripping the West Dublin gangland.
Last September two friends – Darragh Nugent, 36, and 28-year-old John Gibson were gunned down a week apart by a Clondalkin gang feuding with a group headed by jailed criminal James “Nellie” Walsh.
An innocent 23-year-old man was also shot dead in a case of mistaken identity. Dean Johnson was killed in a gun attack in which Walsh was thought to be the intended target.
Cold, callous crime on a busy day with a man going about his business
SUPT PAUL DOLAN
LUCAN GARDA STATION