Locals urged to combat terror

RESIDENTS of the Tallaght estate where a teenage girl
was callously shot dead last week have been urged to work together to fight
against the intimidation, violence and brutality they have been subjected to.

Last week residents of Brookview Way were in a state
of shock and disbelief after 16-year-old Melanie McCarthy McNamara – the
youngest ever fatal victim of a gun crime in the State – was brutally shot dead
in cold blood on their doorsteps.

The young girl died in Tallaght Hospital in the early
hours of Wednesday morning last.

She died as a result of a shotgun blast that was
discharged by one of the occupants of an SUV at about 10.25pm on Tuesday last.

Gardai say she was in a car with three men at the time
she was shot. They do not believe she was the intended victim of the shooting.

A resident who lives close to where the killing
occurred said locals had predicted that it would only be a matter of time
before a fatality occurred in the estate because of the constant intimidation
they have been subjected to by a small group of thugs.

He claimed that a pipe bomb was discharged recently in
the area and several families had been forced to abandon their homes.

“Everyone in the estate who I have been talking to is
in complete and utter shock,

? he said.

“What I will say is that a lot of
people, myself included, knew this was on the way, that it was going to come to
a head.

?

The resident urged his neighbours to come together in
a concerted effort to rid the area of the scourge of drug related violence.

“I can’t close my door and let things like that happen
in my estate, I just can’t,

? he insisted.

“When you see children being shot on
the streets it’s about time that we stood together to combat this; everybody,
not just the agencies. First of all, the people of Brookview have to come
together and start standing up.

“Because of the intimidation and the pipe bombs people
have been forced out of their houses.

“People are afraid to report things,

? he added.

“I
said at the last policing forum meeting that the guards can only do so much and
the council can only do so much. The people of our estate and the area in
general have to start getting involved.

?

Cllr Maire Devine (SF) confirmed that a number of
families in Brookview had been forced to flee the area in recent weeks. She
also alleged that local children have been brutally intimidated. She claimed
that one 15-year-old boy in particular was recently forced to flee the estate
with his mother as a result of constant intimidation from thugs.

Southside People contacted Tallaght Garda station last
week but there was nobody available for comment.

A spokesperson at the Garda press office said they
were following a number of lines of enquiry regarding the murder. The
spokesperson added that they had recovered the weapon they believe may have
been used to kill the young girl.

He also said gardai are appealing for the public’s
help and are asking anyone with information about the killing to contact
Tallaght Garda Station on 01-6666056.

No arrests had been made in connection with the
investigation at the time of going to press.