A young thug shot dead on Sunday knew he was under “serious threat”, the Irish Mirror can reveal.
Gardai believe James Whelan, who was named in court as being a member of an organised crime gang, was targeted by associates of Kinahan-linked mobster Mr Flashy.
The body of the 29-year-old, a relative of Ireland’s first convicted gangland killer 'Cotton Eye' Joe Delaney, was discovered in the Deanstown Avenue area of Finglas in West Dublin at around 4.30am.
READ MORE: Young man shot dead in Finglas, Dublin as gardai launch investigation
The Irish Mirror has learned a property linked to Mr Flashy in the same area was searched by officers.
Whelan, well-known to gardai for his involvement in the drugs trade, was once an associate of the notorious hood and his gang in the Finglas area.
However, he later turned on them and sided with a rival faction and the two gangs have been embroiled in a feud for months.
Whelan had been subject to a number of threats on social media in posts which labelled him as a “rat” while one warned: “We’re coming.”
But gardai are investigating if the fatal shooting was linked to two other gun attacks over the weekend.
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The first saw a machine firearm used to target Whelan’s innocent relative’s home on Friday night while his associates are suspected of hitting back on Saturday, targeting a house linked to Flashy with gunshots.
It follows a number of beatings, a grenade attack and a daylight kidnapping in this feud since the New Year. But yesterday’s killing has ramped up tensions to new heights and gardai are working to curb any more violence with fears that there will be violent reprisals.
A source said: “This feud has been escalating for some time now but this is a different level.
“Whelan was a well-known criminal and has been involved in this feud but he has also been targeted on social media with various threats.
“So he would have been aware that he was under serious threat.
“There’s the personal element of it too. He had been a part of Flashy’s gang but then turned on them.” Yesterday, Whelan’s body was removed from the scene as grieving family and friends were present when the ambulance brought his remains away for a postmortem.
His uncle Scott Leon Knight took to social media and said: “My nephew James Whelan was shot dead in Finglas last night. He lost his life. I’m absolutely gutted after hearing it.
“My beautiful sister Sonya and the family are devastated, God bless her and the family, I’m devastated, God give us Strength.”
But his rivals in Mr Flashy’s gang took to social media to celebrate his death.
Gardai are working to establish Whelan’s last known movements and who he was last in contact with.
Detectives are also looking to see where some members of Flashy’s self-proclaimed “Gucci Gang” were around the time of the killing. Fianna Fail councillor Keith Connolly said there’s “shock” in the community but urged Garda chiefs to allocate the resources needed to combat the threat.
He told the Irish Mirror: “I think it’s really important the Garda Commissioner and the Justice Minister listen and allocate the correct resources.
“There are a number of feuds now and people need to feel safe.
“It’s a tragic loss of young life, just 29, and it shouldn’t be happening but unfortunately it is.
“The vast majority of people are superb who really care about this area but unfortunately it’s the small minority again.”
Whelan’s relative 'Cotton Eye' Joe Delaney gained notoriety when he killed Mark Dwyer in 1996.
Whelan was involved in serious crime since his teens and when he was just 18, he had almost €30,000 in cash seized from him by gardai under the proceeds of crime legislation.
In 2012, Whelan was also stopped by gardai in a van with convicted criminal Nathan Hutch.
Gardai alleged they had items to carry out a burglary however the charges were later dismissed.
But Whelan admitted driving without insurance on that occasion and was hit with a four-year driving ban. He had a long rap sheet of nearly 60 convictions, many of which are road traffic-related offences but also had two for possession of drugs and two for car theft.
The feud between the two gangs saw Mr Flashy’s 22-year-old pal abducted and severely beaten in Finglas at the start of February.
In the run-up to that attack, another of his friends was also attacked and an expensive watch was stolen.
But Flashy’s gang got revenge for that incident when they assaulted their victim with golf clubs and bats in the Dunsink area of Finglas.
Flashy was also targeted with a petrol bomb thrown at a Finglas property he regularly stays in, but the rival gang got the wrong house, instead launching it into the back garden of an innocent family’s home.
Gardai investigating the feud launched a major blitz on Flashy’s gang in February also as the mob’s HQ was taken back into possession of Dublin County Council.
The property on Ratoath Drive in Finglas remains boarded up after it had been regularly used for drug deals and parties.
Detectives have appealed for anyone with information on Whelan’s killing or anyone who may have witnessed the gun attack to come forward.
A spokesman said: “Officers can be contacted at Finglas Garda station on 01 666 7500, the Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. Investigations are ongoing.”
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