Teen Confesses to Stealing Gun Following Christmas Eve Restaurant Attack

A teen confesses to stealing gun from a restaurant attack that took place last Christmas Eve. The teenager, Juares Kumbu, 18, wrote a letter to the court with his confession. 

The teenager confesses to stealing gun from a Dublin restaurant, Browne’s Steakhouse, where a person named Jason Hennessy Senior, 48, was there to have a meal. He was shot as well as fatally injured in a gang attack last Christmas Eve.

What actually happened on Christmas Eve Restaurant attack?

The CCTV footage of the restaurant attack showed that Kumbu and Mr Hennessy were there to have a meal. The gunman Tristan Sherry entered the restaurant with some other men. 

They headed towards a group of people eating at that time, which included Kumbu and Mr Hennessy. The latter was holding a child and was trying to save him.

The video showed Mr Sherry started fighting Mr Hennessy where he was keeping his hands all over the child. The gunman lost control and his gun fell to the ground.

Afterwards, the gun was picked up by someone else and put on the table, from where Kumbu stole the gun and ran away from the disastrous Christmas Eve within the eatery. 

Why the teen confesses to stealing gun?

The teen, Jaures Kumbu is from Brookhaven Grove, Blanchardstown, County Dublin. He admits having picked a submachine gun before he walked out of the restaurant that day. 

The gun was knocked down from the hands of the gunman himself who was later killed at the scene.

The weapon was never found. 

The teenager wrote a confession letter to the court where he admitted having made illogical mistakes “out of fear for his life”. He realised that he was shocked and confused at the same time after “seeing somebody get shot in front of him”. 

He professed that he was scared at that time and that he should not have wasted the court’s time. He apologised to the court in his letter.

He gave his reason for an early plea of guilty and knew that he might be going to jail but wished that it was not for a longer time period. 

The judge, Mr Justice Keruida Naidoo, ordered that Kumbu will be sentenced later at some point in time.  

Kumbu is in remand custody until 2 December. 

What happened after Christmas Eve?

Gardai searched the entire house of the teenager twice; once in the early hours of Christmas morning and the second time in January. They could not find the weapon.

Kumbu was not even found both times after which it was declared that the murder weapon was missing. 

The case of the teenager and the missing weapon

Defence counsel Garret Baker confirmed to the court that Kumbu was born and bred in Blanchardstown. His family originally belonged to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Although he dropped out of school but has no criminal record with the absence of any previous convictions.  

The teenager was the fifth person to be arrested after the incident took place as the gunman, Sherry and Mr Hennessy were shot dead on the spot. 

Kumbu was arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 along with another man under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939. The second man was released after some initial probing but the teenager was held for his suspicious action and the missing weapon. 

Detective Garda Shane arrested Kumbu from his home after some days and objected to his bail. It was noted that Kumbu found the scene at 8:15 pm on Christmas Eve where Mr Hennessy was present with his family and friends. Two people entered the restaurant and started targeting Mr Hennessy’s group.

Mr Hennessy grabbed Sherry and fought with full force. Sherry succumbed to the injuries later at a hospital as he had a fatal head injury with a gunshot.

Although Kumbu picked up the gun when it fell from Sherry’s hands, he was driven away from the restaurant as soon as he stepped out of the restaurant. Thai activity raised some suspicions on Kumbu as to why he stole the gun and left.

The gun was missing since then. The gun being in Kumbu’s possession made speculations stronger and forced Garda to arrest him later.  

The defence counsel of Kumbu reasoned with the court

The defence counsel said,

“It could be argued there was some merit in removing that weapon from the chaotic scene”. 

However, the defence counsel explained that a better suitable option that should have been adopted by Kumbu was that he could have walked into the garda station and handed over the gun to them. He should have mentioned to them that the gun was not his property and had no control over the illegal weapon. 

Mr Baker also reasoned that keeping the absence of work history and any criminal record of his client in mind, it should be noted that Kumbu had no intention of using the gun for any wrong purposes.

On the other hand, Sherry was definitely using it with the intention of hurting or murdering someone, where he was clearly seen pointing the gun at Mr Henesssy.

Mr Baker even gave evidence from the video that Kumbu did not engage in any violent activity over the crime scene of the restaurant attack. 

Also, Kumbu was initially seen hiding under the table when the gunmen first entered through the doors of the restaurant. It clearly showed that Kumbu himself was terrified “just like every other person”. 

FAQs

1. What happened during the Christmas Eve restaurant attack at Browne’s Steakhouse?

• On Christmas Eve, a gunman named Tristan Sherry entered Browne’s Steakhouse in Dublin with other men and began targeting a group, which included Jason Hennessy Sr. and teenager Juares Kumbu. A fight broke out, during which Hennessy tried to protect a child he was holding. Sherry’s gun fell to the ground amid the chaos, and Kumbu picked it up and left the scene.

2. Who were the victims of the attack?

• Jason Hennessy Sr., 48, was fatally shot during the attack while attempting to protect a child. The gunman, Tristan Sherry, also sustained fatal injuries and died later at a hospital.

3. What did Juares Kumbu confess to?

• Juares Kumbu confessed in a letter to the court that he had picked up Sherry’s gun out of fear and confusion, taking it as he fled the chaotic scene. He expressed regret, apologized to the court, and acknowledged that his actions may result in jail time.

4. What happened to the gun that Kumbu took?

• The gun has not been recovered. Despite multiple searches by Gardaí (police) at Kumbu’s home, the weapon remains missing.

5. Why was Juares Kumbu arrested?

• Kumbu was arrested due to his suspicious action of taking the gun and leaving the restaurant. Gardaí were unable to locate the missing weapon and speculated about Kumbu’s intentions, even though he has no prior criminal record or history of violence.