OVER €12,000 has been raised for the supermarket worker who was assaulted by George Nkencho.
The man, whose name is Wayne, is assistant manager at a branch of Eurospar in Hartstown.
He suffered injuries to his nose and teeth after confronting Nkencho when he entered the store brandishing a knife and threatening several members of staff.
Gardai were called to the scene with the situation escalating to a point where officers ended up using lethal force to stop Nkencho, who was shot several times by armed officers.
The death of the 27-year-old, who had a history of mental health issues, sparked protests in Dublin.
However, at least one local resident believes not enough has been done to support one of the other victims of this troubling incident.
Local resident Tracie Askin set up an online fundraising page with the simple aim of showing Wayne that the local community is there for him.
“Wayne is a manager from our local Eurospar. He is one of the nicest people you could meet. He was violently attacked while in work,” she said.
“This page has been set up to support Wayne in his recovery and to let him know the whole of Blanchardstown and beyond are behind him.”
The fundraiser has been backed by Clonee Councillor Damien O’Reilly who told the Irish Daily Mail, he expressed sympathy or Wayne and the customers ‘traumatised’ by the incident.
“It was an absolute tragic series of events that led to the death of a 27-year-old man,’ he said.
“I’m glad people are thinking about the shop assistant because I’m sure he’s going through a lot of mental trauma now, as well as his physical injuries. Hopefully, he’ll be back to himself in no time and I wish him, his staff and customers the very best.”
While the Eurospar assistant manager has so far refused to speak to the media, one fellow employee did offer up a glimpse of what unfolded.
They wrote on Facebook: “This man came into the shop and went up to my manager out of nowhere and punched him so hard he fell to the floor and then continued to punch him before he went to take out a knife on him.
“We had to call an ambulance… Luckily my manager was able to get up and run away. It wasn’t something any of us wanted to go through.”
Following the incident, Nkencho moved on to the local post office where the threats continued.
Gardai were soon arrived on the scene, following Nkencho on foot to his home in Manorsfields Drive in Clonee.
Gardai insist the incident was part of a “graduated policing response” that followed officers being threatened with a knife.
Pepper spray and taser guns had reportedly already been deployed as attempts at use of less-than-lethal force but proved unsuccessful in de-escalating the situation.
A Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) investigation is underway.
