He was quiet and respectful..no one should lose their life like this
Teenager arrested after homeless man attacked
This man was known to us as he regularly used our outreach support services
TONY WALSH FEED OUR HOMELESS FOUNDER YESTERDAY
A TEENAGE boy has been arrested after a homeless man was allegedly beaten to death.
A murder inquiry was launched after the body was discovered in a South Dublin laneway.
The 16-year-old remains in custody and can be questioned for up to 24 hours.
The victim is a foreign national aged in his 40s and it’s understood his phone was stolen in the incident which happened off South Circular Road in Kilmainham at about 1.30am.
He was declared dead at the scene.
The area, between Madison Road and Mayfield Road, was preserved and sealed off for a forensic examination. The State Pathologist was notified.
The body was then removed by ambulance shortly before 11.30am yesterday.
It is understood gardai are attempting to contact the dead man’s family. An incident room has been set up at Kevin Street Garda station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed.
Detectives are said to be following a definite line of enquiry.
Tony Walsh, founder and chief executive of the Feed Our Homeless charity, told the Irish Mirror: “This man was known to us as he used our outreach support services regularly.
“He was a very quiet, respectful and mannerly man.
“We would like to send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the homeless man who just lost his life to the streets in the early hours this morning.
“Nobody should have to lose their life like this.” Meanwhile, many locals in the leafy residential area were shocked and horrified as news of the tragedy spread.
One man said he always thought of the area as a safe place and said he would often walk by the lane where the victim was attacked to get to the shops.
Resident Paul Mcdonald said the murder was “very surprising”. Another man, whose house is just round the corner from the scene, said he was in shock.
He added he didn’t hear anything at the time of the attack although he added he had seen a number of teenagers hanging out around the shops lately.
David Carr, from nearby Rialto, said the area had been “plagued by teenage gangs” in the past few months.
He claimed groups of teenagers would often go around the area attacking people.
Mr Carr added the groups are “very arrogant” and there is “lots of intimidation”.
He said he does not know whether any of the teenagers he has seen in the area are connected to the murder.
Gardai are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen or heard anything between 11pm on Sunday and 2am yesterday to contact colleagues at Kevin Street station.