GARDAÍ BELIEVE THEY have identified a chief suspect in the triple shooting at Bray boxing club which left one person dead and two others injured.
Officers had drawn up a list of people of interest who they believe could have potentially carried out the June attack which left innocent man Bobby Messett (50) dead and injured two others, including boxing coach Pete Taylor who ran the club.
But in recent weeks, detectives received what they believe to be trustworthy intelligence which identified one man as the shooter. The man, who is from north Dublin, is part of a criminal family. He is also suspected of supplying weapons to other criminal outfits.
The suspect in the case has been under garda surveillance since shortly after the shooting. He is well-known to officers and has been using social media to taunt members of gardaí who have, so far, been unable to arrest him for questioning due to a lack of concrete evidence.
Gardaí also believe they have established a motive for the triple shooting and that it is related to organised crime in the Bray area.
A number of informants have told officers that the harbour and seafront area of Bray was the centre of the local drug trade – a place where dealers and suppliers regularly met.
There is no suggestion that anyone present at the time of the shooting was, in any way, involved in any form of criminal activity.
Gardai have also been trying to trace the origin of a silver coloured Volkswagen Caddy van with Northern Irish registration plates used in the shooting.
It is believed that this van travelled from Bray through Shankill and the Cornelscourt area before being abandoned on Pigeon House Road where a man was seen leaving the van and cycling away. The PSNI has been helping gardaí with this aspect of the investigation.
Pete Taylor has previously trained boxers linked to MTK Global, a boxing management company part-founded by drug trafficker Daniel Kinahan.
A statement released by MTK earlier this year said it had “cut all ties with Mr Kinahan in February 2017″.
There is no suggestion Pete Taylor is involved in any form of criminality.
Around the time of the shooting, gardaí had been carrying out surveillance on a number of people they suspected of moving significant quantities of cocaine across north Wicklow and south Dublin.
Detectives are also probing the activities of a convicted killer who has started to operate in the drug trade locally. The man is also believed to be involved in a violent debt collection business.
Gardai are appealing for anyone with information to contact Bray Garda Station on 01 6665300 or the confidential tip line on 1800 666 111.
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