Brandon Ledwidge, who was one of the two individuals targeted and shot in the gang-related assaults in the Republic last year, succumbed to a bullet wound in the chest, as revealed at his inquest. A detective from the Gardai, heading the probe into the murder that occurred in Finglas, Dublin, has informed the Dublin Coroner’s Court that the investigation continues with potential criminal charges being brought against the culprits in the case.
Mr Ledwidge, aged 23, was fatally shot on a Saturday evening, November 18th, outside his home on Barry Drive, by an unknown assailant. The motive for the murder is believed to be linked with drugs.
Sabrina Ledwidge, the victim’s mother, testified in court on Tuesday at the inquest hearing, led by Dr Clare Keane, validating the contents of a concise deposition. She spoke of meeting the Gardai the subsequent day at the mortuary within the State Pathologist’s Office building, situated on Griffith Avenue in North Dublin, where she identified her son’s remains. She did this in the company of Det Garda Ciara O’Sullivan of Finglas Garda Station.
Det O’Sullivan explained to Dr Keane that at the time of the shooting last November, she was assigned as family liaison officer, and hence she had accompanied Ms Ledwidge to the mortuary for identification.
Inspt Dara Kenny of Finglas Garda Station, the lead investigator in the case, applied to Dr Keane for an adjournment of the inquest. He stated that “criminal proceedings are under consideration” in relation to Mr Ledwidge’s murder and suggested a six-month delay to the inquest to allow for the ongoing investigation.
Dr Keane granted the request and adjourned the inquest to November 11th, expressing her condolences to the grieving Ledwidge family present in the court. She also confirmed “a gunshot wound to the chest” as the cause of Mr Ledwidge’s death at this initial stage of the inquest.
Though Mr Ledwidge was seen as a somewhat insignificant player in the northern Dublin drug trade, he was out on bail following numerous previous arrests for alleged cocaine and heroin possession when he tragically lost his life to murder. Police believe he was formerly associated with a local narcotics gang, but had disagreements with them in the weeks leading up to his untimely demise. This conflict, involving a notorious criminal gang known to have firearms, is the primary focus of the investigation into his shooting death.
Mr Ledwidge was at his family residence on Barry Drive minutes before 7pm on the night of his passing. He answered a knock at the door and was shot by the visitor. Emergency services swiftly arrived at the scene, where paramedics immediately attended to him before he was transported to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown via an ambulance. Unfortunately, not long after being admitted to the hospital, he was declared deceased. The first gang-related murder of the previous year in the Republic, his death occurred amidst a period of relative underworld peace, contrasting with a thriving drug market in an otherwise fully-employed economy.
Detectives assume that Mr Ledwidge had ties with a close-knit narcotic syndicate in Finglas, Dublin 11. However, they suggest that after falling out with this group, he was increasingly involved in independent drug trade activities before his murder. The investigators are considering his clash with the syndicate members as a potential reason behind his tragic fate.