Updated at 8.17am

A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION will take place this morning on the body of a man in his 40s shot dead in an apparent gangland-related killing at the weekend.

The body of Michael Devoy — a career criminal from Ballymun — was discovered off the Foxhill Road, Bohernabreena at aound 10.45pm on Saturday night after detectives from Tallaght Garda Station came upon the scene while on routine patrol. The hunt for two men seen escaping the area is ongoing.

The officers had initially stopped to investigate a car parked suspiciously on the road, but as they arrived alongside it, two men jumped into the vehicle and sped away, Garda spokesman Superintendent Dave Taylor told reporters yesterday afternoon.

An ambulance with the body of the shooting victim leaves the scene [Photocall Ireland]

Gardaí were unable to turn their vehicle around in time to pursue the other car, but carried out an extensive search of the area, Taylor said. On returning to the original scene they found the victim with “obvious wounds to the upper body”.

The man’s body remained at the scene as preliminary tests were carried out in the area, and was removed to Tallaght Hospital early yesterday afternoon.

Taylor said the post-mortem examination being carried out this morning would help determine the course of the investigation.

Violent deaths

Superintendent Taylor was also asked to comment on the recent spike in violent deaths since the start of the year — eight people have lost their lives in a violent manner in the past 20 days.

He said that “all murders are to be condemned” and noted that “people are either charged or before the courts in a significant number of these cases”.

[Image: Photocall Ireland]

Originally posted, 6.30am

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