The Newry businessman who was shot dead in Dundalk early yesterday had survived a previous attempt on his life. He was the victim of an attempted shooting in Newry last October and moved to Dundalk after that incident.
Last night, gardai were trying to establish a motive for the killing, but sources indicated that the murder may have stemmed from a dispute in the man's personal life rather than from a criminal or paramilitary motive.
They named the deceased man as Richard McFerran, who lived at Kilgar Apartments in Jocelyn Street, Dundalk.
It is understood that Mr McFerran lay dead in his car for over five hours before anyone realised that he had been murdered.
His body was in the driver's seat of his Mercedes sports car when it was spotted by a postman just after 8 a.m. yesterday. The postman realised that he was dead.
A number of local people said yesterday that they had heard a noise during the night - at about 2.40 a.m. - and now realised that it may have been a gunshot.
Residents who passed by the car early yesterday morning said they had assumed the man was asleep.
Mr McFerran, who was in his forties and married, died with his right leg on the ground and the car door slightly ajar. The ignition keys were in his hands. It is believed that he was getting out of the car to go into his apartment when he was shot at close range.
The shooting bore the hallmarks of a professional hit: Mr McFerran was shot once in the head, probably with a revolver or pistol. No weapon was found at the scene. Gardai said that there was no evidence of paramilitary involvement and nothing to suggest a drugs-related motive.
Garda forensic and technical experts carried out an examination of the scene yesterday morning and the body was formally identified by a relative yesterday afternoon.
The body was removed to the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk, where the State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, was last night carrying out a post-mortem examination.
Mr McFerran worked in his family's crane hire business in Newry and bought the apartment in Dundalk last year. It was part of a small complex of secluded apartments located off one of the main streets and just a few minutes' walk from the town centre.
He had spent the previous evening at Dundalk races and socialised afterwards in a local pub and restaurant. He had parked his car in the courtyard in front of the apartment complex when he was shot.
Locals who saw Mr McFerran in the restaurant on Sunday night said that he was in good form and had been playing the piano.
Mr McFerran was not known to gardai in Dundalk and is not thought to have had any criminal record.
Dundalk gardai have made contact with the RUC as a result of the reported attempt on Mr McFerran's life in Newry last year so that possible connections between the two events can be investigated.