The son of a man blasted to death on the doorstep of his mother’s home has paid a moving tribute to him.
Thomas McCarthy was shot up to eight times after answering the door of the house in Ballyfermot, Dublin, to a lone, masked hitman on Monday.
The dad and grandad was not involved in crime and was targeted after being dragged into a personal dispute, it is believed.
His son Dylan shared a story of the shocking daylight killing on his Facebook page and included the heartbreaking tribute: “RIP Dad, I Love You So Much.”
His father had only returned to his family home in Croftwood Park a week before the brutal murder.
He had been living in Southend on Sea in England where he had raised a family.
On his visit home it’s believed he became embroiled in a dispute involving someone he knew who was assaulted by a violent local criminal.
Detectives are investigating if the paranoid thug in his 20s shot the 55-year-old to death in fear of retaliation.
Dublin Live revealed how gardai staged a number of searches for the suspect who has now gone to ground. It is feared he may have fled over the border to the North.
Gardai are facing a race against the clock to find the man who is also now a target for an organised crime gang based in the heart of the neighbourhood where the hit took place.
Local sources indicated they are determined to take the law into their own hands.
Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have any information about the case to contact
them on 01 666 7200, or call
the Garda Confidential Line
on 1800 666 111.
