People in Finglas tense and watchful after latest killing

Gardaí in bulletproof vests patrolled the perimeter of the cordoned-off area around Ratoath Drive in Finglas yesterday where local man Kevin Ledwidge (28) was killed.

He was gunned down when he answered the door of his semi-detached house shortly before 9.30am on Sunday.

Watchful local residents, willing to talk quietly, refused to give their names when asked.

The area was tense, with some people saying they were bracing themselves for a "big backlash".

Well-known west Dublin criminals also appeared at the scene.

Mr Ledwidge was released from prison last Friday, and had been caring for his dogs and chickens at the weekend, locals said. Despite a 15-month conviction for attacking a man with a machete, they described him as a harmless, young lad "too fond of the drink".

He was one of a family of 10: five boys and five girls. Both his parents are dead, and he lost one of his brothers in March this year to suicide.

"Everybody loved Kevie, he was harmless," one local said yesterday. "He did stupid things when he was drunk, that's all."

One woman who lived nearby said she heard a single shot at around 9.20am, and then the Garda helicopter arrived overhead. "I saw him here yesterday, flying up and down on his motorbike with his shirt off. He was a soft fella. You get shot for little or nothing these days."

Another local man said gardaí had lost control of the gangs and of Finglas. A pipe bomb had been thrown in the area last month, and, only three or four weeks ago, there had been a row on Ratoath Drive.

"After the row, the man came back and opened fire with a pump-action shotgun. Kevie's brother and another fella were hurt. That didn't even get into the papers."