GARDAÍ WERE yesterday trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of a man during a party at his family home and the reason why the emergency services were not alerted until almost an hour after the killing.
The dead man was named as Christopher Emmet, a 21-year-old father of two from Blanchardstown, west Dublin.
One of the victim’s friends, who was present when the shooting occurred, had been in a row with Mr Emmet a number of years ago.
During that incident, Mr Emmet suffered a stab wound to the leg, and had to have the limb amputated.
Three people have been arrested for questioning about the shooting, which took place at about 3am yesterday at the Emmet family home in Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
The legally held shotgun discharged in the living room of the terraced house, fatally wounding Mr Emmet in the neck.
Gardaí were investigating if the fatal shot was discharged accidentally or deliberately. The investigating team, under Supt Dave Dowling, is keeping an open mind.
Mr Emmet’s mother and stepfather were away in Europe on holidays and it appears he had asked a number of friends around for drinks in their absence.
At some point during the night the shotgun, owned by Mr Emmet, was taken out.
After it discharged, fatally wounding Mr Emmet, his friends, who were the only people in the house at the time, panicked and fled.
The alarm was raised by a neighbour at close to 4am, about 45 minutes after the fatal shooting.
It is understood none of the neighbours heard the shot but that one resident later became aware of what had happened through word of mouth and contacted gardaí.
When gardaí went to the scene they arrested two men, aged 18 and 23, at a house near Mr Emmet’s family home. Both arrested men were among the group drinking in the house when Mr Emmet was shot.
Another man, aged 24, was arrested just before lunchtime yesterday.
He was also in the house at the time of the shooting.
All three men were being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. They were being questioned at Cabra and Finglas Garda stations.
Gardaí believe that while Mr Emmet was with at least three people when shot, it is possible there were more people present, and they have urged anybody with information to contact them.
Supt John Gilligan said door-to-door inquiries had thrown up no reports of noise coming from the house that might suggest a row was under way when the gun discharged.
“A full criminal investigation has been launched,” he said.
The property was sealed off immediately gardaí arrived. The body remained at the scene until yesterday afternoon because the State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy was in Mullingar carrying out a postmortem on the remains of a man found dead there on Monday morning.
Dr Cassidy examined Mr Emmet’s remains when she arrived at the scene before they were taken away for a postmortem.
Members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out an examination of the Emmet family home.
The shotgun was found in the house and has been taken for examination by gardaí.
Anybody with information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda station on (01) 666 7080.