Shooting victim Sandra Boyd's family hit by third tragedy as cousin dies on Dublin streets

Sandra (36) suffered a fatal gunshot wound following an incident at a house in Collins Place, Finglas, shortly before 9pm on Saturday.

Emergency services were alerted and she was rushed to the Mater Hospital but was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.

It had earlier been revealed that Sandra’s cousin Josh Boyd (19) was killed on January 1 after the bike he was riding struck a lamp post while travelling on Sillogue Road in Ballymun, Dublin.

Condolences flooded in for the young Dublin man of Marewood Crescent, Ballymun, who was later laid to rest in Glasnevin Cemetery after his funeral in the Church of the Holy Spirit, Sillogue.

And another cousin of the young mum died in a tent on a Dublin street just hours after her tragic death.

A candlelight vigil is to be held outside the gates of the Dail on Thursday at 7.30pm in memory of dad-of-six Thomas (Lynch) Boyd Dowling who was tragically found dead in a tent.

Thomas, who was also known as Red Tomo, was a cousin of Sandra’s.

His body was discovered by gardaí at Loftus Lane, between Bolton Street and Parnell Street, at around 3am on Tuesday morning.

An investigation is now underway into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Kiera Gill - of A Lending Hand - an outreach charity, posted a poignant picture of Thomas on Facebook, writing: “This is Thomas, he died on our streets yesterday in a tent in a lane, alone.

“We will be holding a candlelight vigil outside the gates of the Dail on Thursday at 7.30pm to remember Thomas as the human he was and to remind our peers to start looking after and providing adequate hostel accommodation, so no other person has to die alone in a tent on the street, please join us.

“He is not just ‘a homeless person’. He was a person,” Keira added: “A person with a face and a family who loved him!!

"A decent person that fell on hard times, we met him every week, we probably gave him the tent he died in.

“The only home on offer to him at the time. We need to stop being so desensitized by just another homeless person.

"He was homeless but he was much more than just that.

“He always waited his turn, he was never rude, had lovely manners and always looked out for us girls.

“His friends on the streets are also devastated to lose another pal to the neglect of our peers.

“Please join us in remembering Thomas on Thursday, bring a candle and let's not let his death be in vain.”

Meanwhile, a man arrested by gardaí over the fatal shooting of Sandra is being held on suspicion of the murder.

The man, in his late 20s, remains in detention at Finglas Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.

It is understood gardaí believe the innocent mother of five may have been accidentally shot dead.

A significant investigation is underway and at this stage gardaí believe that a firearm was discharged inside the property resulting in Ms Boyd being accidentally shot.

A firearm, understood to be a handgun, has been recovered by investigators and been sent for ballistics tests.

Sandra Boyd was originally from the Finglas area and the mother to four boys and an infant girl.

Friends on social media described her as “one of a kind” and “a diamond” while revealing their heartbreak at her killing.

One person wrote online: “I’m just lost for words. Absolutely heartbroken for you and your family Sandra Boyd. You were a diamond. Look over your babies and family at this devastating time. RIP beautiful."

Another post said: “Absolutely shocking news. What kind of world are we living in. Absolutely heart-breaking. Rest in peace Sandra, you truly were one of a kind. Look down on your kids and your family.”

On Sunday gardaí carried out door-to-door inquiries while they also reviewed CCTV footage from the area.

Sinn Féin councillor Anthony Connaghan told the Irish Independent: “A young lady with kids is after losing her life and it’s shocking.

“I just want to try and get the guns off the streets to prevent this. We’ve had a number of incidents in the Finglas community over the last few months, so we’d be calling for extra Garda resources to deal with the problem.

“It’s clear when the guards are on the ground in areas where there’s drug or gangland activity this stops. There is little or no incidents when there’s a visible presence on the ground. We’ve been calling for that for the last few years.”

Cllr Connaghan added that most people in Finglas live normal lives and “it’s only a tiny minority that are giving the area a bad name”.

“I’m at a football match park here with hundreds of kids around playing matches. All these nearly finds themselves tarnished by incidents like this.

“For the amount of good in the area it’s almost taken out by these small number of incidents.”

Social Democrats councillor Mary Callaghan said her “heart particularly goes out” to the family of the deceased woman.

“It’s a very tragic situation that has shocked and saddened the whole community,” she said.

“It’s extremely shocking and saddening. We were all enjoying a long St Patrick’s weekend and this tragedy has happened in the middle of it. It’s devastating for the family. Guns kill, they’re dangerous and we need to remove them from society.”

She added that “a lot more” must be done to “rid society of the scourge” of drugs and violence.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil councillor Keith Connolly described the killing of a young mother as “harrowing”.

“It happened in Finglas east, so it’s quite close to the village and it’s usually a very quiet area. Something like that hasn’t happened in the area for quite some time. So, the sense of shock is really immense,” he added.

Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward.

They are asking for anyone driving in the area of Collins Park, Ballygall Road West, or any adjacent roads, between 8pm and 9pm on Saturday to contact them.

In particular they are appealing for drivers and road users who have dashcam or GoPro footage to contact them.

Anyone with information in relation to the shooting is being asked to contact Finglas Garda Station 01 666 7500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.