A man was murdered by a gang of people on a street after a gun attack on a house and a car chase.
Neil Reilly, in his thirties, was found near his home on a road on the edge of the Glebe estate in the Esker area of Lucan, west Dublin in the early hours of Wednesday.
One line of inquiry is he was chased from the scene of a gun attack a few miles away on Liscairne Gardens in Ronanstown at about 4am where several shots were fired at a house.
Gardai said a number of people in the house at the time escaped injury.
It is believed a car chase took place following the shooting and the car Mr Reilly was in was rammed by a number of other cars and he was set upon by a gang.
He was beaten and stabbed, suffering a number of slash wounds, and there were also reports he was hit by one of the cars involved in the chase.
At least five men were involved in the murder attack.
Gardai said Mr Reilly was rushed from the scene by ambulance to the Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown where he was pronounced dead.
Superintendent Dermot Mann said: "After the crash there was a serious altercation on the street involving five to six people or maybe more."
Mr Reilly lived in the St Finian's area of Lucan.
Gardai said a number of vehicles were seized for technical examination while the road where Mr Reilly was attacked was sealed off for several hours.
A Mazda car, which had damage to the front bumper and the passenger side wing, was found at the scene at The Glebe.
Gardai appealed for anyone who was in the area of Liscairne Gardens at around 4am or who witnessed the shooting to come forward.
They also appealed for anyone who saw the car chase between Ronanstown and The Glebe area or who may have seen the attack, the car being rammed or people leaving the scene.
The crime scene is a short distance from Gaelscoil Esker Riada and concerned parents spoke to local representatives as they did the school run.
Danny O'Brien, local Sinn Féin councillor, said: "It's not something that people expect. I can only imagine what it'd be like to witness that.
"It's not something you'd want your children to experience or expect your children to experience in this area. Even in the north inner city you shouldn't be experiencing that but people here are shocked."
William Lavelle, a Fine Gael councillor for the area, said: "They (parents) are all very upset and shocked.
"This incident happened several hundred metres from where we had that awful murder a month or so ago.
"This is the second incident in as many months. Obviously people are shocked that someone has lost their life and they are angry that the good name of Lucan is dragged down."
Mark Desmond was shot dead in Griffeen Valley Park in Lucan in early December.