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Gangster who ordered Jordan Davis murder behind campaign of terror in north Dublin

The convicted drug dealer, who cannot currently be named, recruited Wayne Cooney to shoot Davis as he pushed his infant son in a pram over a drug debt

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The man who ordered the murder of Jordan Davis boasted about being in the Sunday World as he threatened people in a campaign of terror at a time when he was linked to numerous gun attacks and murders.

The convicted drug dealer, who cannot currently be named due to a court order, recruited Wayne Cooney to shoot Davis as he pushed his infant son in a pram in Darndale in Dublin on May 22nd, 2019 over a €70,000 drug debt.

Cooney (31) was described as an “extremely dangerous individual” when he was sentenced to life behind bars for murder this week but he was no mastermind criminal.

He was acting under the orders of a 33-year-old north Dublin drug dealer referred to in court as CD.

CD is known to gardai as an extremely volatile and reckless criminal who traded on his notoriety as he tried to establish himself as a major player in the Irish underworld.

He played a major role in creating havoc in north east Dublin in the years up to him being locked up in 2020.

CD was raised by his sister from the age of 10 when his mother left the family home and his father was jailed for manslaughter of a toddler who died when he petrol bombed a home.

He turned to crime at an early age and by the age of 21 had been caught with a €43,000 cannabis and heroin haul for which he was later jailed.

When he was out on bail over the drugs haul, he was shot in the leg in a suspected punishment shooting.

After his release from prison he started to significantly increase his involvement in organised crime.

CD and a close associate were linked to numerous shootings, firebomb attacks, intimidation and murder as they tried to assert themselves in the underworld.

They are the prime suspects in the murder of a man who died after being shot in Dublin in 2020. The victim in that shooting cannot be named for legal reasons.

They were also involved in a separate feud with Paul Norton from Kilmore in north Dublin.

CD and his associate were suspected of being behind numerous incidents linked to the feud including an unsuccessful murder attempt on Norton in June 2019.

There were several other gun attacks linked to the feud and CD and his associate were also arrested after gardai found two guns which they believed were going to be used in a hit attempt on Norton but later released without charge.

Later that year CD’s associate was linked to a gun attack in which a man was injured in north Dublin.

Months earlier CD was behind a number of gun attacks on the home of an innocent family in Co. Tyrone after he said their son owed him money.

CD was named in a number of articles in the Sunday World during his campaign of violence and in an incident where he threatened to burn down a man’s home he told his victim if he wanted to know who he was dealing with he should “check the last six Sunday Worlds”.

He was later convicted in relation to that incident.

In the lead up to Davis’s murder he made a number of threats to him warning he would be killed.

CD and Davis had been associates in the drug business but CD started to threaten him over a drug debt.

After the murder gardai discovered messages on Davis’ phone from a phone associated with CD referring to a debt owed and warning him: “”I’m on your case mate, it won’t be long”. The messages added: “Soon, very soon, bang bang.”

He then recruited Cooney, who at the time was going out with his sister, to carry out the shooting.

Cooney was spotted cycling around Darndale two days before the shooting as he prepared to murder Davis and also on the day of the shooting.

He made little attempts to cover his tracks and was identified on CCTV in the area.

On the day of the shooting he cycled up to Davis and as he pushed his child in a pram beside Our Lady of Immaculate National School.

He fired eight shots and hit Davis three times in the head and body.

As well as CCTV evidence and witnesses seeing Cooney at the scene his DNA was found on gloves with firearms residue which were discarded near the scene.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt sentenced Cooney to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murder this week saying Cooney is “obviously an extremely dangerous individual”.

He said he should not be considered for release until that danger is negated “long in the future”.

He noted that Cooney had fired eight times, striking Mr Davis three times, and was “astonishingly reckless” as to the danger posed to Mr Davis’s baby and another child who happened to be cycling through the lane when Cooney opened fire.

The judge sentenced Cooney to 13 years each for possession of the firearm and ammunition he used to murder Mr Davis. Those sentences will run concurrently with the life sentence.

The court also heard that Cooney had 21 previous convictions including one for possession of drugs for sale or supply.