GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the shooting dead of a Dublin man in Ardee, Co Louth, last Friday were last night questioning two men in relation to the killing.
The men, aged 55 and 21, were arrested at Dundalk Garda station at 3.30pm yesterday and can be held for up to a week. They were being held under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.
Stephen Lyndon (20), Cromcastle Court, Coolock, who was also known as Stephen Hanaphy, collapsed and died after being shot outside a house in the Sliabh Breagh estate in Ardee.
Gardaí believe he was one of a four-man gang from Dublin who went there to take part in an attack on two men who lived in the house. The gang was met with gunfire and the body of the dead man was found some 300 metres away from the house hours later in the early hours of Saturday.
Gardaí believe the sound of gunshots may have been mistaken for fireworks last Friday night.
Officers have renewed their appeal for information about the fatal shooting. They have asked for a taxi driver who took one of the Dublin gang back to the capital after the shooting to contact them.
They have already spoken to another taxi driver who took one of the men back to Dublin.
Gardaí believe two of the gang broke into the house through a rear window and opened the front door for the other two. As the four men prepared to go upstairs they were met with gunfire. The four fled the scene and abandoned a Renault Laguna car they had travelled in to Ardee, outside the house.
The break-in and shooting happened at about 11pm on Friday, but the body of Mr Lyndon was not found until about 4am. A baseball bat found beside the body is believed to have been brought to the house, along with a number of iron bars, by the Dublin gang. Gardaí do not believe the gang had guns with them.
Garda Supt Ray Brennan asked that people who may have heard what they thought were fireworks “to please tell us about it. What might seem insignificant to somebody could be significant to us.”
Gardaí know the identities of all the gang members. One of them, who was shot in the arm and has since undergone surgery in a Dublin hospital, will be interviewed later this week.
The incident room in Ardee Garda station can be contacted on 041-687 1139 or the Garda confidential line at 1-800-666111.