The image shows the moment Gardai recover the automatic rifle believed to have been used in the Drimnagh shooting.

Gardaí have recovered an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle believed to have been used in the Drimnagh murder.

Shocking footage has emerged of the moment officers recovered the high-velocity weapon, typically seen in the United States, from a hedgerow in the Dublin area. The powerful weapon is believed to have been used in the shocking shooting in which Josh Itseli, 20, was killed in a suspected ambush incident on Knocknarea Road in Drimnagh in the early hours of Monday morning.

Locals have told how up to 20 gunshots were heard as a ‘Wild West’ style shootout appeared to take place in the middle of the streets, resulting in Josh’s tragic death. The young man is believed to have been shot following a collision between a Volkswagen Golf and a Mercedes vehicle, just outside a school, at 12.15am on Bank Holiday Monday.

Read more: First image of Drimnagh shooting victim killed in ‘Wild West shooting’

Read more: A bomb squad was called to the scene where a young man was shot dead in Drimnagh

Gardaí believe a dispute between two rival gangs got out of control and turned into a violent incident which also saw members of the gang bringing a homemade bomb to the scene. However, sources say the device, which has since been taken to safety by the army’s Explosives Unit on Monday, was not used and was recovered near the scene.

Two men and a teenager traveling in a badly damaged Ford Focus vehicle were detained by armed Gardaí near the nearby Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. They were subsequently arrested and are now detained at various Garda stations while Gardaí formally launch a murder investigation.

Shocked family and friends of Josh arrived at the scene on Monday afternoon and told the Irish Mirror they are searching for answers about what exactly happened. A family friend told us: “It’s shocking. You often hear that someone gets sick or dies, but no, that someone finishes everything in a minute. “We are very shocked.”