LAST UPDATE | 5 Sep 2022
TRIBUTES ARE CONTINUING to be paid today following the deaths of three siblings in Tallaght, Dublin 24 yesterday.
At approximately 12.30am yesterday, gardaí were informed of a violent incident occurring at a domestic residence in the Rossfield Estate.
A man in his early 20s was arrested. He remains in custody today. It is understood that the victims were stabbed.
Gardaí initially said that three female siblings had died in the incident but have since confirmed that it was two sisters and a brother.
The three siblings – a female aged 18 and a boy and a girl aged eight (twins) – were removed from the scene by ambulance to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, where all three were later pronounced deceased.
Gardaí yesterday confirmed the identities of the victims as Lisa Cash (18 years), Christy and Chelsea Cawley (both 8 years).
A 14-year-old boy, another sibling, was removed from the scene to Tallaght University Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Following an intervention by Garda Armed Support Unit members, a man in his early 20s was arrested at the scene.
After gardaí arrived at the house they deployed what are known as ‘less than lethal weapons’ in an attempt to subdue the man.
They entered the house and it’s understood they used a taser on the man before arresting him.
This man was detained at Tallaght Garda Station under section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. He remains in Garda custody this morning.
A woman, the mother of the children, who was not injured at the scene, was also removed to CHI Crumlin.
All people involved in this incident are believed to be known to each other. Gardaí are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident, at this time.
Tributes
A statement was released yesterday evening by St Aidan’s Community School which said that staff and pupils at the school and at St Aidan’s Senior National School are “shocked and deeply saddened by these events and our thoughts are with the family and those most affected at this time”.
The three young people killed in the tragedy attended the schools.
The statement said that the incident is a community and school tragedy.
The schools have put in place their critical incident plan and have been in touch with the relevant supports and services, including the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). Psychologists from NEPS, along with counsellors and pastoral care staff will be at the school tomorrow to assist students that need help.
The statement also asked for privacy and sensitivity for the family and friends involved in the tragedy.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Kevin Shortall, principal of St Aidan’s Community School, which Lisa attended, said: “You hear so many people saying there are no words, and there are no words, the community is in shock.”
Shortall described Lisa, who had just completed her Leaving Cert at the school, as a “quiet, beautiful young girl, very diligent, hardworking, got on with her work, was great support to her friends”.
“She was remembered as one of the most honest, genuine young people, full of integrity, no fuss, no drama around her, got about her business and was hugely, highly regarded and very warmly remembered by so many staff members here at the school,” Shortall said.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told reporters today that the incident was “one of the worst incidents” that he had heard of in his years policing.
“I’ve spoken to some of the guards who initially responded, it’s one of the worst incidents that I’ve heard of or come across in my service, and we’ve put in place appropriate support for them but we had also acknowledged the trauma visited upon the local community in terms of the shock of this incident, and the subsequent grief can’t be underestimated either.”
“It’s very much a live investigation. I would acknowledge as well that neighbors made a quick report to ourselves. We responded quickly,” he continued.
“The initial Gardaí arrived and did tremendous work, showed great courage and fortitude in terms of their response and they were quickly backed up by specialist colleagues, who again acted with great professionalism and courage in dealing with the incident.”
A local Fianna Fáil councillor, Theresa Costello, told RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne that “Tallaght is reeling at the moment”.
“I honestly think it probably was one of the darkest days ever seen in Tallaght… the pain and grief is immeasurable,” Costello said.
“It’s so hard to make sense of what happened because there is not sense to it.”
“It’s just such a loss to the community. I can’t imagine what it’s like in school today, those three chairs empty.”
“I don’t know how people can come back from this,” said Costello, but said that everybody would come together in the wake of the tragedy.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Dermot Richardson told RTÉ’s This Week programme that the community is in a sense of “shock and numbness”.
“I spoke with a family whose children went to school with the children that are deceased. It’s horrendous. They don’t know what to do. Do they send the kids to school tomorrow, do they not send them to school, is there anything in place?” he said.
“It’s a shock to the community, the whole of Tallaght and the whole of Ireland as well because when three lives are taken like that it’s horrendous.”
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris told reporters this morning that “there are no words” for the tragedy.
“Three young beautiful lives to be extinguished overnight through what seems to have been the most violent and heinous of crimes is something that I know has not just shocked the community of Tallaght – and we think particularly of that community – but I think it’s something that has shocked the entire country.
“This is just something that has numbed the nation.”
Incident room
Gardaí in Tallaght have established an incident room and all the circumstances of this incident are being investigated under the direction of a Senior Investigating Officer.
The Coroner’s Office and the Office of the State Pathologist have been informed. Post-mortems are to be arranged.
In a statement yesterday, a spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána has appointed a family liaison officer and An Garda Síochána will continue to support the family involved in conjunction with other state agencies.
“This violent, challenging and traumatic incident was responded to by uniform unarmed garda first responders from the Tallaght District, supported by uniform members and armed detectives from the wider DMR South Division and Specialist Armed Support Unit members.
“An Garda Síochána has put in place welfare supports for, and will continue to support, all members who attended this incident.
With reporting by Órla Ryan, Niall O’Connor, Jamie McCarron, Tadgh McNally and Press Association
Comments are closed for legal reasons.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say