Two men were shot dead in Firhouse, west Dublin last night in what has been described as a gangland double-killing.
Gardaí said the two were shot in Carrigwood at about 10pm.
It is understood both were occupants of a silver Lexus car which was followed into the estate by the gunmen.
Initial reports indicated the two were shot in the head as they sat in the car. A BMW, believed to have been driven by their killers, was found abandoned later in the nearby Glenvara estate.
Gardaí sealed off the road where the car was located, a cul-de-sac which opened up onto a football pitch. Some locals reported a car chase preceding the shooting but this was not confirmed by gardaí.
The scene was being preserved for technical examination last night, and the State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, was due to examine the area early this morning.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses who were in the area around the time of the shooting to come forward.
A motive for the double-killing had yet to be establishedbut detectives believe it may have been related to a feud between rival criminal gangs in west Dublin.
Locals said they heard what they believed were fireworks around the time of the shooting. One person reported seeing a body slumped in the driver's seat of the car.
There have been at least 15 other gangland-style killings this year, many of them in west Dublin. The pattern of shooting incidents led to the establishment last May of Operation Anvil.