From top: Jastine Valdez; Mark Hennesy; The scene in Cherrywood Business Park last night, where Mr Hennessy was shot dead by gardai
Eyewitnesses had reported seeing student Jastine Valdez, 24, being bundled into a Nissan Qashqai on the R760 Kilcrony road near her home in Enniskerry, County Wicklow at 6.15pm on Saturday.
The large-scale investigation was carried out throughout yesterday until shortly after 8pm, when Mark Hennessy [40-year-old married father-of-two from Bray] was located at a car park in Cherrywood.
It is understood that a stand-off ensued between the suspect and gardai, during which he [allegedly] produced a weapon, believed to be a knife. He was then shot by a detective.
Jastine had still not been located last night by investigating gardai as concerns mounted for the young woman.
Jastine Valdez still missing as gardai shoot suspect dead (Independent.ie)
Search for missing Wicklow woman after suspect shot dead by gardaí (RTÉ)
Rollingnews/RTE
Update:
Ms Valdez’s purse found.
Update:
Body found.
He apparently produced a knife so they shot him in the head. Perhaps shoot him in the leg, the arm, anywhere. Find out where the kid is, then shoot him in the head? Too harsh?
One has to wonder … knife or not he would have been pretty valuable to have alive …
I don’t understand why the gardaí didn’t just melt the blade of the knife with their heat vision.
They could have roshamboed him for it.
Was wondering that myself.
Bearing in mind that everyone commenting here has precisely zero idea what actually happened apart from ‘there was a knife’ and ‘a man was shot by the gardai’, don’t you think it might be a little bit much to be back seat driving the response?
I agree, but nevertheless it’s very unfortunate indeed for this poor girl that they couldn’t have taken him alive.
I think it’s a bit much that they dont have cameras on their guns.
How dare you, I’ve seen every episode of NCIS and Hawaii 5 0 so I am a firearms expert and perfectly qualified to talk about non lethal targeting in an aggressive hostile situation that I was not at.
I’m sure the officers involved would have preferred to take him alive. From what I’ve read, he went for one guard with the knife and was shot by another guard. Split second decision had to be made and all the Gardai involved would, I’m sure, have wanted a different outcome. Hopefully Jastine will be found safely. Her poor family must be frantic with worry.
I can only presume the suspect knew he was in a no-win situation and made it so that the Gardaí on site had no choice but to respond lethally. It’s a win for him though, and a loss for the Gardaí that being the case.
Why is it “apparently” and not “allegedly”. Arrmed Gardai need to have gun cameras.
Just bizarre and horrific.
So many open questions.
Hopefully some positive news soon.
Trusting forensics and phone records will provide answers now that the suspect is dead. Really hope this woman is found alive. Parents must be in an awful state.
Not only naming the suspect but publishing his picture
Stay classy Broadsheet
RTÉ have named him and published his photo.
They hadn’t on the website when this article went up
Must be a timing thing because I followed the RTÉ link above which goes to an article that includes the photo.
Yeah, I may have pulled an Outrage special. Apologies to Bodger
You have become the thing you most despised, Rotide.
that must’a hurt Rottie
would be kind of pointless for BS to omit this information when every radio station, tv station, website etc has published it, no?
I guess so. I just hadn’t seen the photo anywhere till here.
I have an opinion.
oh no you don’t…
The more vacuous the better!
Very strange that they shot him in the head. Glad that GSOC are investigating.
It looks like the Gardai have a load of cars parked at the entrance to the old Puck’s Castle pitch n putt in Rathmichael. That place has been closed for a few years now, pretty overgrown and isolated :-(
What an unusual case for Ireland. I hope that they find the girl alive, although it doesn’t look too promising. Pity they shot the kidnapper dead before they got vital info on the girl.
Yeah, it is a pity.
Shoot him after he’s made tell them where the girl is by all means.
A man who grabs a woman off the road in broad daylight, punches her in the face and bundles her into his boot is probably not up for rational conversation when the cops catch up with him. What a horror.
+1.
Bizarre if this was a random attack and he didn’t know the victim.
Seems the Gardai used the onboard car computer to trace the movements. Not sure how’d they find anything given the outcome last night.
That said, I’ve nothing against the Guards for taking their action last night. They should be commended for apprehending this menace to society.
A bit of decorum would not go amiss.
There is a man dead. He had a wife and two kids. Regardless of what he did (or didn’t do) they have lost their father.
There is also a police officer. Some of you may not be aware of the following fact: police officers are actually human. This is going to cause the officer some psychological trauma.
Give the lecturing a break will you.
Decorum? No one is blaming the sickos wife & children.
Yeah bet he’ll have a compo claim with a month.
rubbish crime reporters-a large number of shots or a small number of shots-FFS !
shot to kill ?
“a garda fired a number of shots”
Let’s leave the policing and governing of Ireland to the people who are qualified to do it: commenters on thejournal.ie
I hope – somewhere, somehow – there is a positive outcome when they find Jastine. Thoughts are with her family.
Appalling stuff.
Tough on the guard. Used his best judgment in a crisis. At least one sicko won’t walk free within a few months. For this we should all be grateful that a guard left the country a slightly safer place. If this murder was shot & questioned, he would be back on the loose within a short time, to murder some other poor innocent victim.
Chances are he murdered her very quickly after the abduction. RIP
Maybe yesterday’s showdown was a murder suicide on his part? None of us know what the hell went on.
Yes it’s looking like he wanted to die too. Main thing is he was got fast & we are not all paying for garda time, free legal aid, jails, etc. Big positive is he won’t have d opportunity to kill in the future.