Shot dead after row at church ceremony
Innocent victim feared attacks following clash at christening
Related Articles
THE savage murder of a father of two outside his parents' house was sparked by a row at a christening.
The victim was Wayne Doherty (32), who was hit in the side by a shotgun blast when he approached a group in two cars. Detectives began a murder probe after the killing at Oakview Way in Hartstown, west Dublin at around 11.30pm on Saturday.
Gardai said last night that Mr Doherty was not known to them, had no criminal connections and was not affiliated with any gang.
Mr Doherty had worked as a bouncer in the nearby Hartstown House before giving up that job to become a bread delivery man seven years ago, residents said.
Officers believe the fatal shooting was connected to an argument between a friend of Mr Doherty and another group during a christening on Saturday evening.
They think Mr Doherty, who lived in Clonsilla, was informed of the row and was in Hartstown after being told of fears that there could be violence in the estate on Saturday night.
Last night gardai were following a number of leads after raiding two houses in the Blanchardstown area.
They seized an air gun and two balaclava helmets in one house, but did not find the murder weapon.
Gardai were also searching for two cars used by the killer and his accomplices as they fled from the scene of the murder.
Mr Doherty, a married father of two, was shot twice outside his parents John and Angela's home, where he had been reared alongside five brothers and one sister.
He was on the road chatting with members of his family before the two cars pulled up.
He approached one of the cars and a gunman jumped out, brandishing a shotgun.
Pointed
The gunman pointed his weapon at Mr Doherty and opened fire. But Mr Doherty managed to push the gun upwards and the blast was fired into the air.
However, he was struck in the side by a second blast and slumped to the ground as the two cars sped off out of the estate.
Mr Doherty was rushed to the Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown in a critical condition and was pronounced dead at 5.37am yesterday. Neighbours in the quiet housing estate of Oakview Way were trying to come to terms with the late-night attack on Mr Doherty, who they described as a hard- working family man. This was the 16th fatal shooting in the country this year, a death toll that has averaged more than one victim per fortnight.
A resident living close to where Mr Doherty was gunned down told how he was startled by two large bangs at around 11.30pm.
"I was in there with the young baby and I heard two shots being fired," the man, who did not want to be named, said.
"I knew they were gunshots straight away, they couldn't have been firecrackers.
"The baby was crying so I didn't come out straight away, but when I did come I saw Wayne down on the ground.
"Then all the ambulances arrived and that was pretty much it."
The Dohertys are a popular family who were described by locals as hard-working, decent people.
"I grew up with that family and Wayne was a lovely man," one neighbour said.
"He was a family man with two kids. It's just a terrible tragedy because he was never involved in anything criminal or anything like that."
Another neighbour added: "He wouldn't harm a fly. He was a genuine bloke and then someone goes and does that to him." Superintendent David Dowling of Blanchardstown garda station yesterday appealed for information on the killing.
"At approximately 11.30pm last night at Oakview Way, Hartstown, Clonsilla, a 32-year-old man was shot," he said.
Rushed
"He was rushed to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown where he died at 5.37am this morning.
"We are looking for any person who was in the vicinity in Oakview estate last night between the hours of 11pm and midnight and, in particular, two vehicles that were seen leaving the estate immediately after the shooting."
During the search for the murder weapon gardai raided a house in Blanchardstown yesterday morning and seized the air gun and balaclavas.
They later searched a second house but did not find the weapon there either.
Further searches for the shotgun and the getaway cars were being carried out in west Dublin last night.
Local gardai are being backed up in their inquiries by detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The murder scene was sealed off throughout yesterday as members of the Garda Technical Bureau from the Phoenix Park carried out a detailed examination. A post-mortem was being carried out last night by deputy state pathologist Michael Curtis.
- Tom Brady and Stephen O'Farrell
