The fatal shooting of a young Clondalkin man 10 years ago in a case of possible mistaken identity remains an open Garda investigation, an inquest has heard.
Dean Johnson (21) sustained fatal gunshot wounds in an attack by two assailants at Harelawn Green, Clondalkin a short distance from his home shortly after midnight on August 24th, 2013.
Detective Inspector Brian Hanley told a sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court that the investigation into Mr Johnson’s death remained open and he expressed hope that there would be “further investigative opportunities.”
Det Insp Hanley said gardaí had already followed 530 separate lines of inquiry in the case with 400 witness statements having been taken to date.
The inquest heard that 10 people had been arrested in relation to Mr Johnson’s murder and a file on the case had been forwarded to the DPP in 2016 who directed that no charges should follow.
Det Insp Hanley said a second file had been sent to the DPP in 2022 following a review of the investigation but “unfortunately” the DPP had again directed that there should be no prosecution in the case.
He told the coroner, Clare Keane, that none of the potential witnesses were available to give evidence in person, despite having been served with summonses to attend the inquest.
However, Dr Keane decided to proceed with the hearing after consulting with the victim’s family on the basis that it could hear details of written depositions of eyewitnesses.
A friend of the deceased, Craig Carroll, said he saw Mr Johnson at The Square in Tallaght on the evening of August 22nd, 2013 where the deceased had been queuing since two days earlier to get tickets for a gig by the Dutch DJ, Tiësto.
Mr Carroll said he saw Dean again the following morning at around 6.30am when he returned to check on his nephew in the queue.
He recalled that there had been a bit of trouble among those queuing for Ticketmaster to open with knives coming out from “some little b***xes.”
Pub
He said Dean had asked him to go with him for a drink at 11am that morning in The Finches pub in Clondalkin, but he did not want to go.
Mr Carroll said the deceased had texted him again that evening at around 11.30pm to say he had been out all day but was back in The Finches.
The witness said he went down to the pub a short time later after receiving a call that someone had been shot outside The Finches.
Mr Carroll said he knew Dean was the victim from the clothes of the person on the ground.
Another friend of Mr Johnson, James Smith, said he had been drinking in a number of pubs in the Lucan and Clondalkin area with the deceased on August 23rd, 2013.
Mr Smith said Dean was not allowed into The Finches when they returned to the pub late that evening.
After having “a quick pint,” Mr Smith said he went outside to check on his friend and was told by a bouncer that Mr Johnson had headed down Neilstown Road.
As he was talking to the bouncer, Mr Smith said they heard shots and he saw someone running towards a car which then went “flying down the Collinstown Road.”
He said he knew no reason why his friend would be killed.
Friends
Another friend of the deceased who was in The Finches, David Gilligan, said he had gone outside to the bouncer to see if he could get Mr Johnson into the pub.
Mr Gilligan, who admitted he could not remember much about the evening as he was “so locked”, said he, Mr Johnson and another person left to go to Club Diva in the Red Cow Hotel.
The witness said they started “legging” it after two men appeared behind them and a man in a balaclava pointed something in their direction.
Mr Gilligan said he heard shots as they were running and then realised Dean was not with them.
When he went back towards the pub, Mr Gilligan said he was told by gardaí at the scene of the shooting to get out of the area.
Mr Gilligan said he was “freaked out” by what happened but had no clue why Mr Johnson was shot.
Another witness, Helen Regan, who was travelling on a Nitelink bus, said she heard four or five banging noises and saw a guy lying on the ground.
Ms Regan said she saw someone wearing a white hoodie with a handgun who fired at least five times as she could see sparks from the weapon.
She also saw another person, who was also wearing a hoodie, standing on the other side of the road.
Another eyewitness, David Ryan, said he heard “popping noises” as he was driving his taxi on Neilstown Road before he saw two young men running on either side of the road.
Shooting
The taxi driver said he next saw two figures standing on a grass verge near The Finches pub firing guns towards the ground.
He said one gunman fired up to five rounds before stopping and firing several more shots, while the second assailant also shot at least four times.
Mr Ryan, who alerted gardaí to the incident by making a 999 call, claimed the attackers were making sure that the person they were shooting was “not going to get up.”
Another eyewitness, Joanna Murphy, who was visiting her mother, went outside after hearing noises which she initially thought were bangers and saw Mr Johnson being shot in the head.
Ms Murphy recalled that she had done the “stupid thing” of asking the victim if he was alright.
While she was attending the deceased, Ms Murphy said another male came up to her and had remarked that “the shots were for him.”
The victim’s mother, Betty, who attended the inquest with her husband, Larry, and two of their sons, Andrew and Mark, said she understood that one of the people with her son on the night had swapped their coat in the pub before leaving the premises.
The inquest heard Mr Johnson was rushed by ambulance to Tallaght University Hospital but was pronounced dead at 1.01am on August 24, 2013.
The victim’s older brother, Andrew Johnson, gave evidence of identifying his brother’s body in the mortuary at Tallaght University Hospital two days later.
'Full of energy'
Mr Johnson said he last saw his brother a few days before his death when he appeared happy and “full of energy.”
He described his late sibling as a promising footballer who had won many trophies and was mentioned in many newspaper articles as well as being a great uncle to his children.
“He was the best brother you could ever have,” said Mr Johnson.
Former State pathologist, Michael Curtis, said post-mortem results showed Mr Johnson had been shot multiple times.
“The injuries sustained were catastrophic and were incompatible with life,” remarked Dr Curtis.
A jury of five women and one man returned a verdict of unlawful killing by persons unknown.
Addressing the family, Dr Keane said the passing of time did not make Mr Johnson’s death any easier for his relatives.
The coroner observed that the open nature of the Garda investigation into his death might offer his family some hope.
“He suffered a violent death undeserved by anybody for any reason,” Dr Keane added.
