On Christmas Eve 2023, a family dinner at a Dublin steakhouse became the site of a double killing when a gunman opened fire and was then fatally overpowered by the man he shot. More than a year later, three men have been convicted of murder at the Special Criminal Court, as the law attempts to assign accountability to a night when violence consumed both the aggressor and the defender. The verdicts mark a solemn milestone in a case that holds within it the oldest of human tensions — the instinct to protect, the spiral of retribution, and the irreversible cost of both.
Three convicted of murdering gunman in Christmas Eve Dublin restaurant shooting
Two men died: gunman Tristan Sherry (26) was fatally attacked; Jason Hennessy senior (48) died from gunshot wounds sustained during the incident.
He was disarmed and attacked by a group, kicked, stamped on, struck with chairs, stabbed and shot
Mark
So a gunman walked into a restaurant and was immediately tackled by someone dining there?
Mimi
Yes. Jason Hennessy senior was standing with a toddler when Sherry came in with a submachine gun. Hennessy tackled him to the ground, and Sherry never got up from that position.
Luke
But Hennessy was shot, right? So the gunman did fire before being tackled, or after?
Mimi
The source says Hennessy senior died from gunshot wounds sustained that night. It doesn't specify the exact sequence—whether Sherry fired before or after being tackled.
Mark
And then what happened to Sherry?
Mimi
He was attacked by a group. Kicked, stamped on, struck with chairs, stabbed 16 times, beaten with a metal bar and a brush. The post-mortem found 27 sharp wound injuries total.
Luke
That's a very specific number. Do we know if all those injuries came from the group, or could some have been from Sherry himself or the other gunman?
Mimi
The source doesn't distinguish. It just says Sherry was attacked by a group and lists what was found at the scene.
Mark
And three men were convicted of his murder?
Mimi
Three were convicted of murder—Andrecut, Musueni, and Amah. Three others were convicted of violent disorder. A seventh man pleaded guilty to removing the gun.
Luke
So the three convicted of murder—we know they participated in the attack, but the source doesn't detail which specific acts each man committed?
Mimi
No, it doesn't. The verdict is guilty of murder, but the individual roles aren't spelled out in this reporting.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
Sentencing on April 7. All six convicted men are in custody until then.
Il Polso
- A Christmas Eve family dinner shattered in seconds when two gunmen entered Browne's Steakhouse and one opened fire on a man holding a toddler.
- The wounded man tackled the gunman to the ground — but what followed was not restraint; it was a prolonged, savage assault that left the gunman stabbed 16 times and beaten with chairs and a metal bar.
- Both men died: the gunman from his injuries at the scene, the father who intervened from his gunshot wounds in hospital — two deaths tangled in the same violent moment.
- On February 17, 2025, three men were found guilty of murder, three others convicted of violent disorder, and a seventh had already pleaded guilty to removing the firearm from the scene.
- Sentencing is set for April 7, with the full weight of two lives lost pressing down on a courtroom still working toward its final reckoning.
On Christmas Eve 2023, a family dinner at a Dublin steakhouse became the site of a double killing when a gunman opened fire and was then fatally overpowered by the man he shot. More than a year later, three men have been convicted of murder at the Special Criminal Court, as the law attempts to assign accountability to a night when violence consumed both the aggressor and the defender. The verdicts mark a solemn milestone in a case that holds within it the oldest of human tensions — the instinct to protect, the spiral of retribution, and the irreversible cost of both.
On Christmas Eve 2023, Jason Hennessy senior brought his family to Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Shortly after 8 p.m., two gunmen entered and moved toward the back of the crowded restaurant. Hennessy was standing there holding a toddler when 26-year-old Tristan Sherry opened fire. Hennessy tackled him to the ground — and Sherry never rose again.
What followed was a brutal and sustained attack. Sherry was disarmed, then kicked, stamped on, stabbed 16 times, and beaten with chairs and a metal bar. Post-mortem examination would document 27 sharp wound injuries in total. While the assault continued, Hennessy — the man who had brought the gunman down — was himself beaten and stabbed. He was carried from the restaurant over Sherry's body as the violence raged on. He died later in hospital from his gunshot wounds.
On February 17, 2025, three men were convicted of Sherry's murder at the Special Criminal Court: Michael Andrecut, 23, Noah Musueni, 18, and David Amah, 19, all from the Dublin area, each of whom had pleaded not guilty. Three further men — Jonas Kabangu, Diarmuid O'Brien, and Brandon Hennessy, the victim's own son — were convicted of violent disorder. A seventh man, Juares Kumbu, had already pleaded guilty to removing the firearm from the scene.
All six convicted men were remanded in custody. Sentencing is scheduled for April 7, 2025 — the final legal chapter of a night that left two men dead and a restaurant full of families as witnesses to lethal chaos.
A 48-year-old man took his family to dinner on Christmas Eve 2023 at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown, Dublin. The restaurant was full. They sat at tables and booths toward the back. Shortly after 8 p.m., two gunmen entered and moved toward the rear of the dining room. Jason Hennessy senior was standing there, holding a toddler, when one of the gunmen—26-year-old Tristan Sherry, armed with a submachine gun—opened fire. Hennessy tackled Sherry to the ground. In that moment, the gunman never got up again.
What followed was a sustained and brutal attack. Sherry was disarmed, then kicked, stamped on, and struck repeatedly with chairs. He was stabbed 16 times. His attackers beat him with a metal bar and a brush, inflicting severe lacerations to his head and face. The post-mortem would later document 27 sharp wound injuries in total. His blood was found on chairs, a folding knife, a metal bar, a butter knife, and a brush. While this assault continued, Hennessy—the man who had tackled the gunman—lay on the ground struggling for breath. He too was beaten and stabbed to death. He was carried from the restaurant over Sherry's body as the violence went on. Hennessy died later in hospital from gunshot wounds.
On February 17, 2025, three men were convicted of Sherry's murder at the Special Criminal Court. Michael Andrecut, 23, from Sheephill Avenue in Blanchardstown; Noah Musueni, 18, from Corduff Park in Blanchardstown; and David Amah, 19, from Hazel Grove, Portrane Road in Donabate had all pleaded not guilty to the charge. The three judges—Justice Kerida Naidoo, Judge Elma Sheahan, and Judge James Faughnan—found them guilty. Three other men were convicted of violent disorder in connection with the same incident: Jonas Kabangu, 19, from Corduff Park in Blanchardstown; Diarmuid O'Brien, 18, from Corduff Place; and Brandon Hennessy, 21, from Sheephill Avenue in Dublin 15. Brandon Hennessy is the son of the man who was shot.
A seventh defendant, Juares Kumbu, removed the firearm from the scene as the attack on Sherry was ending. He pleaded guilty to that charge and is scheduled to appear in court again next month. All six convicted men were remanded in custody. Sentencing is set for April 7, 2025.
The case moves through the court system with the weight of two deaths behind it—one a gunman who initiated violence, the other a father who intervened to protect his family and paid with his life. The verdict closes one chapter of a Christmas Eve that turned a restaurant into a scene of lethal chaos, but the full reckoning, in terms of sentences, remains ahead.
Citazioni salienti
Sherry was tackled to the ground by Jason Hennessy senior and never got up— Court findings
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Crime & Justice