Gardaí have begun a murder investigation following the fatal stabbing of 20-year-old student in Cork city on Thursday night.
He has been named locally as Cameron Blair (20), a second -year engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology. He was from Ballinascarthy in west Cork.
Mr Blair died after he was slashed in the neck after a row broke out at a house party on the Bandon Road at about 9.20pm.
It is believed that up to six youths may have gatecrashed the party at the rented house next to Bandon Road Post Office when they were asked to leave.
A number left without issue.
However, a row broke out between some of the gatecrashers and those hosting the party and Mr Blair was slashed in the neck as he stood at the doorway as the group left. He staggered on to the street where he collapsed and his friends raised the alarm.
Paramedics attended to him at the scene before taking him by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where he died a short time later.
A postmortem examination took place on Friday afternoon at the hospital.The results are not being released for operational reasons.
The youths who had gatecrashed the party fled up the Bandon Road and gardaí have appealed to any motorists who were in the area and may have dashcam footage to contact them.
They also believe there were a large number of students in the area at the time and many are understood to have filmed events on mobile phones.
Gardaí have appealed to them for assistance and have asked anyone who may have filmed events not to post the images or video clips on social media but to instead contact Togher Garda station on 021-4947120.
Sympathies
Cork Institute of Technology president Dr Barry O’Connor extended his sympathies to the family and friends of Mr Blair.
“The entire CIT community is in shock at the untimely death of one of our students and in such dreadful circumstances. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the family and friends of the deceased who was a valued member of our CIT community,” he said.
“While our second semester lectures have not yet commenced, counselling and other necessary supports will be put in place by CIT for his classmates and his fellow students here in the institute.
“We are also working in close co-operation with our CIT Students’ Union to help students cope with this terrible tragedy. I am confident that our UCC colleagues will also be putting supports in place for their students who are also traumatised by this fatality.”
Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Dr Paul Colton also expressed his sympathies.
“As news was breaking last night of a stabbing incident on Bandon Road, a short distance from my own home in Cork, I tweeted my message of horror and sent my heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the young man, his family and friends.
“I now know, this morning, that he was Cameron Blair, a young person from this Church of Ireland Diocese, who attended Bandon Grammar School, and who was confirmed by me in 2013 in Saint Peter’s Church, Bandon.”
Bishop Colton said that Cameron was well known in his local community including as a rugby player and athlete and he said that he and his wife, Susan shared the shock of everyone in Cork at the young man’s death.
“Having had student children myself, I know well that a calamity such as this on a night out is every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Bishop Colton before extending his sympathies to the young man’s family.
“My heart goes out to the Blair family, especially Cameron’s parents, Noel and Cathy, and his brother Alan as well as to Cameron’s wide circle of friends and peers, and indeed everyone who has been traumatised by this event.
“On behalf of everyone living in this part of Cork, and on behalf of us all in the Church of Ireland community in Cork, Cloyne and Ross I send them our sincerest condolences,” said Bishop Colton.
Lunchtime
It’s understood Mr Blair had been working with his father at his business in west Cork up until lunchtime on Thursday before he travelled to Cork to attend the house party.
Gardaí will await the results of a postmortem examination by local State Pathologist, Dr Heidi Okkers, later today before formally launching a murder inquiry into the death of Mr Blair.
Gardaí took contact details at the scene for up to 20 people who were at the house party but many were in a highly distressed and emotional state and it is only this morning that gardaí have begun taking witness statements.
They have also begun door to door inquiries on the Bandon Road and surrounding streets and they have begun harvesting CCTV footage from the Bandon Road, Barrack St, College Road and Magazine Road areas.
Garda search teams have searched waste ground off Noonan Road and other adjacent streets in the area for the weapon used in the attack which they believe may have been discarded by one of the youths.
The stabbing happened less than 500 metres from where another man, Paul Jones (55), was found dead in his rented house also on the Bandon Road on September 4th last.
Two people have been charged with aggravated burglary at the home of Mr Jones who was originally from Mayfield on Cork’s northside. A postmortem revealed Mr Jones had been stabbed multiple times.
