It is understood that Gardaí believe the man who died in Dún Laoghaire on Sunday was killed accidentally in a punishment beating that “went wrong”. 

At 8.30 in the morning, the man, who was 39-years-old, was shot dead at Patrician Park on Kill Avenue. 

The victim has been named locally as Mark Cullen, a man from nearby Shankill in South County Dublin. 

It is the first fatal shooting in Ireland since 2024. 

“At this stage, we believe that he went to the area where he was wounded to meet somebody by arrangement at around 8.30 yesterday morning,” Conor Lally of the Irish Times explained on Newstalk Breakfast. 

“Obviously, when he got there, the interaction went wrong; he was shot in the leg and the wound and the blood loss were so severe that he died at the scene. 

“Gardaí haven't ruled out the fact that perhaps the person who shot him intended to either carry out an intimidatory or a punishment shooting.

Mr Lally added that Mr Cullen had been in and out of jail in recent years and had only been released from prison two weeks ago. 

Although he is thought to have been associated with a local drugs gang, he lacked a national profile. 

“He was a minor criminal figure,” Mr Lally said. 

“Gardaí didn't have any information that his life was in danger or that he was involved in gangland feuding in any way. 

“So, certainly from the context that I've been speaking to over the last 24 hours or so, there was a degree of surprise that he had been shot dead.”

Investigation

Ireland has seen a steady reduction in gun crimes in recent years and Mr Lally said Gardaí are “very, very keen” to catch those involved. 

“Generally, if a murder isn't planned, these people generally are caught,” he explained. 

“This is an area where there were a lot of people around as well on Sunday morning; a lot of people were out and about, a lot of people on their way to mass happened upon the scene, where this unfortunate man had been shot. 

“There are commercial promises in that area as well; so, there is a lot of CCTV and that's really the kind of work that Gardaí are engaged in.”

Gardaí have asked for any witnesses to contact Dún Laoghaire Garda Station. 

They are particularly keen to speak to anyone with dash cam footage.

Main image: Members of Gardaí on patrol in Dublin city centre. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.