A man has been shot dead in Dublin this afternoon.

Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene of an incident in the Foxdene area of Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

Gardaí were responding to calls reporting shots being discharged in the area shortly after 2pm.

“A number of shots were discharged at the scene,” a garda spokesman said.

“A man believed to be in his 40s was fatally injured.”

The scene of the shooting is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners.

The body of the man remains at the scene.

In the direct aftermath of this afternoon’s shooting, dozens of children on their way home from school are said to have witnessed the man’s dead body lying on the road.

As gardaí assessed the crime scene, local residents came out of their homes to ask for information and to express their shock.

One woman, who did not want to be named, told Independent.ie that children as young as four were in the area shortly after the incident.

“The man was lying on the road before the gardai came,” she said.

“The shooting happened around the same time that the junior kids were walking home from school. By the time I came out of my house to see what was going on I saw a good few of them just metres away from the body.

“Thankfully, they were with their parents who had the sense to leave the area as soon as they realised what happened.”

Another neighbour, who knew the victim, said she came of her house as soon as she heard “a loud bang”.

“I can’t remember if there was more than one shot, but when I walked around the corner I saw [the victim] on the ground.

“I didn’t get up close, but I knew from where I was standing that he was already dead.

“I knew him as a quiet individual who kept to himself a lot. I wasn’t close to him, but I know his mother died a few years ago.”

A resident from Foxdene said he hopes gardai will take this incident “very seriously”.

“He had cameras outside his home so I can imagine the shooting was all recorded on video. There’s enough crime around here as it is so I hope the gardai will stay on top of this and take it very seriously.”

More to follow

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