Two men remain in custody after a 47-year-old man died following an assault in Athlone, Co Westmeath on Saturday.
The victim, Paul ‘Babs’ Connolly, died after a public order incident in the early hours of Saturday morning at Church Street.
Two men, aged in their 30s and late teens, are being detained under suspicion of assault at Athlone Garda station.
Mr Connolly was discovered with serious injuries at around 2.35am on Saturday. He was taken to Portiuncula University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
A postmortem has been completed but the results are not being released for operational reasons. Gardaí said they were aware of images of the incident circulating on social media and have appealed to people not to share these images as it is upsetting for the family of Mr Connolly.
The scene at Church Street was preserved for technical examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.
An incident room has been established at Athlone Garda station under the direction of a senior investigating officer.
Earlier on Saturday, gardaí appealed for people to come forward who may have been at the taxi rank waiting area on Church Street in Athlone between 2.15am and 3am on Saturday, and anyone who may have provided assistance to the man.
Gardaí are working to identify the owners of vehicles parked in the area and drivers who travelled through Church Street between 2.15am and 3am who may have seen the incident.
Anyone with dash-cam or video footage is also requested to make this available to the investigating team.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Athlone Garda station on 090 6492600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. — Additional reporting PA
