Police in Dublin have intensified their probe into the affiliates of Josh Itseli (20), a low-level drug dealer who was fatally shot last week, and the rival gang under attack that particular night. It has been confirmed that both factions come from Crumlin and other regions in southwest Dublin. The authorities are alarmed by their possession of powerful firearms and have thus conducted numerous search operations this week aiming to locate more weapons.
An AR-15 rifle, a military-grade firearm, was utilised in the lethal shooting of Mr Itseli in Drimnagh during the early hours of the previous Monday. The gun was later found discarded in a nearby hedge and is currently subject to technical examination.
Police theorise that Mr Itseli, who had been arrested twice the previous year for drug dealing activity in Drimnagh, was inadvertently hit in the head by one of his own companions who lacked the skill and familiarity to manage the firearm. They suspect that this weapon was the only one fired during the event on Knocknarea Road, although a pipe bomb was also found at the scene. Investigators think Mr Itseli, along with four comrades, had been plotting to assault a competing faction using the pipe bomb.
The incident turned fatal for Mr Itseli when the two groups had a direct collision on Knocknarea Rd, leading to a gunfight. The police are deeply disturbed that such a minor criminal group was in possession of an AR-15 and a pipe bomb, and was donned in bulletproof gear. The week’s searches were particularly focused on locating other firearms linked to these criminals.
Three of Mr Itseli’s companions were arrested in proximity to the crime scene, apprehended by the Garda Armed Response Unit that arrived on the site. Among the detained men, two are in their early 20s—one known for his excessively violent tendencies—and the third individual is a teenager.
In recent developments, another teenager who was purportedly in the company of Mr Itseli and three other individuals during the small hours of last Monday has voluntarily provided a statement to the Gardaí, despite not being arrested at the time. A growing certainty among the officers is that the opposing gang is not implicated in the shooting. Increasingly, they believe the fatal shot that took Mr Itseli’s life may have been unintentionally fired by a member of his own group, who persisted to shoot at their adversaries afterwards.
Despite the absence of charges towards the detained trio, law enforcement remains optimistic about acquiring sufficient proof to lodge criminal charges related to the incident. Clothing donned by the arrested individuals has been seized for analysis, and the firearm and vehicles implicated in the incident are undergoing rigorous scrutiny as well.
According to investigators, the collated evidence—supplemented by CCTV footage from the Drimnagh region and mobile phone data—is anticipated to substantiate the filing of criminal charges. Nevertheless, they worry a surge of reciprocal aggression might ensue, given that the miscreants implicated in this conflict have demonstrated a significant disregard for the consequences of their actions and exhibit a marked lack of strategy in their decision-making process.