Gangland boss was shot six times in crowded pub
A major gangland crime boss was shot six times in the head and body during a night out in a packed local pub, a post-mortem examination has revealed.
Eamon Dunne was gunned down at the Faussagh House bar in the north Dublin suburb of Cabra on Friday evening as terrified customers looked on.
Two masked gunmen walked into the busy neighbourhood pub, where it is thought Dunne was attending a birthday party, and riddled the high-profile gangland figure with bullets from an automatic pistol.
It is understood the shooting may have been captured on CCTV cameras and Dunne’s 17-year-old daughter was present and witnessed the brutal killing.
Despite murder-squad detectives pleading for witnesses to come forward it is understood no one in the bar on the night has yet provided any information.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Seamus McGrattan said he spoke with two shocked people who were at the function at the pub on Faussagh Avenue.
“The magnitude of what happened is affecting people. It was so easily done. The fact that you could walk straight into a pub and shoot the man several times and walk straight back out again, and do it in a couple of seconds,” he said.
“I spoke to a couple of people who were there, and they’re obviously quite shaken by what they saw.”
Mr McGrattan said the witnesses claimed the revellers were ordered to lie down on the ground, while one of the gunmen stood guard at the door.
“He (the gunman) knew exactly where the man was.
“They (customers) were taken aback when they came in. Of course people didn’t know what was going on, but you don’t take a chance, you just duck to the ground.
“They fired shots and they were gone. It was literally a few seconds between when they came in and left.”
The killing happened at around 10pm and the pair, armed with at least one gun, fled the scene with two other men in a silver-coloured saloon car, similar to a Ford Mondeo or Volkswagen Passat.
A post-mortem examination was completed on Dunne’s body late last night.
Dunne, 34, of Dunsoghly Drive in Finglas, was regarded as a major gangland player and detectives believe there could be various motives for the killing.
“Enemies as long as my arm,” one garda said.
Dunne was currently before the courts for conspiracy to rob a cash-in-transit van in Celbridge, Co Kildare, three years ago.
He was suspected of being linked to a series of gangland killings, including Martin “Marlo” Hyland who was shot dead in Finglas in December 2006.
A spokesman for Justice Minister Dermot Ahern branded the killing abhorrent and stressed new laws were now in place to tackle gangland crime.
“The minister has brought in fairly stringent and tough laws to deal with gangland criminals,” he said.
“That legislation is in place and the gardaí are very, very advanced in a whole range of enquiries across gangland, which the minister is hopeful will see results in the coming months.”
The Faussagh House remains sealed off as garda forensic officers continued to comb the premises for clues.
CCTV footage in the bar is also being downloaded and will be examined by murder squad detectives.
Mr McGrattan said there is a fear in the area of revenge killings.
“It’s always a danger that when something like this happens, it tends to be that something else will happen as a result,” he said.
“People would be fearful of that.”
Both Fine Gael and Labour expressed outrage at the killing and called for gardaí to be properly resourced to tackle the criminal underworld.
Fine Gael Senator Paschal Donohoe said: “This happened in front of innocent people, and it’s extremely fortunate that no-one was caught up in the crossfire.
“There have already been far too many innocent victims of gangland crime. It shows clearly just how vulnerable bystanders are when gangland criminals are intent on murder.”
The Labour Party’s Justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte added: “The fact that Mr Dunne was a major criminal does not lessen the seriousness of this crime.
“We know from previous experience that a murder like this is likely to set off another vicious round of tit-for-tat killings and there is a danger that, once again, innocent people will be caught in the crossfire.
“Gardaí need to be properly resourced, and well equipped so that they can detect crimes and secure convictions.”
Gardaí have appealed for anyone who was inside or outside the pub either before or during the incident, particularly between the hours of 8pm-10pm, to come forward.
They are also looking for witnesses who may have seen the getaway vehicle to get in touch.
