A murder inquiry was under way in Limerick yesterday after a man died following an attack by two men.
He was Mr Patrick Comerford (41), of Ballygrennan Close, Moyross, who was married with two children.
He was dead on admission to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital. The assistant State pathologist, Dr Maire Cassidy, carried out a post-mortem yesterday.
Gardaí are trying to establish the type of weapon used, and believe he may have been stabbed in the back. The scene, a two-storey red-brick house in a new corporation scheme, was being preserved for forensic examination.
The victim was attacked at 2 a.m. yesterday outside his home by two men described as in their 20s. Mr Comerford's teenage son Gerard had been attacked earlier by a number of individuals in the nearby Castlepark area of Moyross.
They then followed him to his home. When his father came to the door, it appears he was attacked by two individuals.
Gerard Comerford was treated for injuries to his head and hands, and for shock. Supt Willie Keane of Henry Street Garda station, said gardaí were following a particular line of inquiry and were trying to establish a motive.
They have ruled out links with any ongoing feud on the north side of the city. They described it as an isolated incident and are seeking a weapon and witnesses to either incident.
Relatives and neighbours gathered in the victim's house yesterday. A shocked Mrs Jeanette Comerford described how she opened the window and heard shouts outside of "They are killing him." She went out and found her husband lying bleeding on the ground. The gardaí were alerted and the victim was rushed to hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mrs Comerford said: "We have no idea what started the incident. Patrick was a very quiet man and never bothered anybody. We are devastated and shocked at what happened."
The parish priest of Moyross, Father John O'Shea, said: "He was a quiet man who worked on a FÁS initiative. It's just cruel that a man should have to die like that. Society needs to reflect; it's getting worse."