GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING THE death of 35-year-old Congolese Yves Sakila have issued a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward.
A spokesperson said that gardaí are looking to speak to anyone who was on Henry Street (between Moore Street and Coles Lane) between 5pm and 5.25pm on Friday 15 May.
They added that a postmortem examination has been completed by the Office of the State Pathologist, but the results are not being released “for operational reasons”.
“Gardaí have recovered footage from CCTV and social media of the incident,” the spokesperson added.
A Senior Investigative Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation, which is being carried out by the Serious Crime Unit in Store Street Garda Station.
An incident room has been established, and a Family Liaison Officer has been appointed and is in contact with the family of the deceased.
Gardaí are also engaging with the man in his 80s who was injured at the scene of the incident that took place last Friday.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station on 01 666 8000, the Garda Confidential Line, or any Garda Station,” a garda spokesperson said.
Yves Sakila was declared dead in the Mater hospital last Friday not long after he was restrained by several security personnel outside the Arnotts Department store on Henry Street.
Footage of the incident, which took place following allegations of a shoplifting incident, has been widely circulated online.
The Irish Network Against Racism has labelled the footage as “very disturbing”.
The almost five-minute video seen by The Journal appears to have been taken by a bystander among the large crowd outside Arnotts department store who watched as Yves Sakila was held to the ground.
Two of the men appear to be pushing Mr Sakila’s head and neck to the ground with their hands.
One of the men also appears to push down on Mr Sakila’s head and neck with his knee with force.