Gardai investigating the murder of a man outside his home in the Co Sligo village of Monasteraden on Thursday morning have said they are now following a number of lines of inquiry.
Mr Terry Madden (51) was shot in both legs as he left his house at 8 a.m. to drive to a meeting in Dublin. Unconfirmed reports said two men were seen running from the house. Gardai also received a report of a car reversing at speed beside the Madden home at the time of the shooting. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor. A post-mortem examination was carried out on the body at Sligo Regional Hospital yesterday afternoon by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.
A full report will not be available until next week, but preliminary results indicate Mr Madden died from gunshot wounds to both legs. A shotgun was apparently used, which may suggest criminal rather than paramilitary involvement.
Mr Madden, a father of three grown-up children, was a native of Monasteraden and was very involved in a number of community groups. He had been a canvasser for Fianna Fail during election campaigns. He was on the board of the lobby group the Council For The West, and the Sligo Leader Partnership Company. He was also chairman of the Monasteraden Water Scheme.
Insp Michael Barrett, who is leading the investigation, said yesterday gardai were still trying to establish a motive for the killing and appealed for more information from the community. He said he believed there were people in the area who "could give us a lot more information that they may think is insignificant". Insp Barrett said anybody who had seen anything out of the ordinary over the past few days in the Monasteraden area should contact the Garda.
A team of up to 50 gardai is working on the case and forensic experts continued to examine the murder scene yesterday. Questionnaires were handed out to all homes in the vicinity. The incident room can be contacted on 071 82560.