Tragic twins Chelsea and Christy Cawley were callously thrown out the top window of their home after being stabbed, it has emerged.
The eight-year-old twins Chelsea and Christy and sister Lisa Cash, 18, were allegedly stabbed to death by a 24-year-old man believed to be known to them at their home in Rossfield Avenue in Jobstown, Tallaght, Dublin, early yesterday. The suspected perpetrator of the horrific triple killing is alleged to have stabbed all three victims and thrown the twins out of the top window of the house during a heated confrontation with armed gardai who tried to reason with him from outside the driveway of the home.
That shocking incident was witnessed by a crowd that had gathered outside as gardai arrived – having been alerted by their brave 14-year-old brother who escaped by jumping from a window and running for help. Meanwhile, the twins’ sister Lisa was discovered lying at the bottom of the stairs with apparent stab wounds – and gardai fear she was also thrown or pushed down them by the killer.
Read more: First photos released of Tallaght siblings stabbed to death
Sources say a man, who is known to all three victims, refused to comply with gardai ordering him to put down a large kitchen knife he was allegedly holding when they arrived at the scene at around 12.30am. The man was inside the house, brandishing the knife and refusing to allow gardai into the home, it is claimed.
The armed stand-off continued for some time while the man, wielding the knife, shouted at brave officers who attended the scene. He was also seen handling one of the children near the window of the house – as officers begged him not to harm the child further.
Gardai from Tallaght Garda Station, backed up by armed detectives and subsequently members of the Armed Support Unit, attempted to rescue the children. However, it is understood they were already dead by the time they got access to them.
It is understood that the assailant entered the house in Tallaght and came at the twins, Lisa and their 14-year-old brother with a knife in a frenzied attack. Sources say the alarm was only raised after the 14-year-old jumped out a window of the house and ran to a nearby house.
During the stand-off, the man threw Chelsea and Christy out of a window after they had already suffered catastrophic stab injuries. Gardai eventually fired non-lethal rounds at the suspect, and were able to access the house, where they then discovered a man hiding in the attic.
Locals described seeing gardai “dragging” a man out of the house as the children, Lisa and their mother ‘Twink’, who arrived at the scene, were rushed to hospital. Shocking footage of some of the incident also spread on social media yesterday.
The footage, which showed gardai at the scene, captured some of the horror – with screaming and shouting heard throughout. At one stage in the video someone can be heard shouting “Don’t do it. Don’t f**king do it.” The smashing of glass can be heard after this, as well as more screaming and shouting.
In another video of the incident someone can be heard shouting to a man in the window to “show us your f**king hands”. Last night the 24-year-old suspect remained in Garda custody in Tallaght Garda Station.
Detectives are now set to launch a full murder investigation into the horrific deaths. The 14-year-old boy who jumped out of the house and ran for help also had to be hospitalised – after suffering serious leg injuries from the fall.
The children’s mother, who was not in the house at the time of the incident, later arrived at the scene. She was uninjured, but went to the hospital with her children. She was later released and gardai said she is being supported by her family.
Post-mortems were due to take place yesterday and today by State Pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis. Gardaí said they were not looking for anyone else at this time.
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