A post mortem has failed to establish a definitive cause of death for the man who lost his life after he was detained for allegedly shoplifting from Dublin’s Arnotts store . Sources confirmed to us that the autopsy carried out on Congolese national Yves Sakila following his death on Friday was inconclusive. We also understand that gardai are awaiting further tests, including toxicology, or an analysis of Mr Sakila’s system. It is understood those results are not expected for several weeks. The Irish Mirror has
also confirmed that Mr Sakila, who lived in Ireland for 22 years, was detained by security outside the Henry Street entrance of Arnotts on Friday afternoon on suspicion of stealing scent from the store. Sources say it was alleged he stole at least two bottles of scent from the store. The death of Mr Sakila, who has numerous criminal convictions since 2011 and had served several spells in jail, came five months after he was fined €110 for stealing perfume from the same shop. He
received the fine at Dublin District Court on January 13 for stealing perfume worth €106 from Arnotts on June 10 last year. Two separate investigations are now underway into Mr Sakila’s death – one by gardai themselves and one by Fiosrú, the policing ombudsman. That is because gardai were called to the scene and interacted with Mr Sakila after security staff detained him on Henry Street on Friday afternoon. We reported yesterday that gardai briefly handcuffed him as they tended to an 80 year old
pensioner Mr Sakila knocked over and injured when he tried to escape from the shop. But within seconds, the gardai realised Mr Sakila was unresponsive and started performing CPR on him. He was then rushed to the Mater Hospital , where he was pronounced dead on Friday evening. News of the lack of an established cause of death came as more than 100 people mounted a vigil outside Arnotts on Tuesday morning over Mr Sakila’s death. A video of the incident, which has been shared
online and on messaging apps, has been described as “deeply disturbing” and has caused concern among minority communities. Taoiseach Micheal Martin expressed his sympathies to the man’s family and said the incident must be “thoroughly” investigated. The Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) said it was “extremely disturbed” by reports of Mr Sakila’s death. “The death of a black man in such circumstances is extremely worrying, and we urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate all of the circumstances leading to this man’s death, in order to
ensure minority ethnic community confidence in the criminal justice system,” INAR director Shane O’Curry said. On Tuesday at noon, dozens of people gathered at a vigil in Henry Street and left red roses and flowers at a site along the busy shopping street. The crowd chanted “Justice for Yves” and “no more violence”, and carried handmade signs, including one that said “Black lives matter here too”. People expressed their shock at his death and said that a video alleged to be of part of the
incident was particularly upsetting. “It’s not all about the colour, I’d be out here for anybody. It could happen to anybody, it could happen to you, it could happen to me,” Chris Kibiadi said. A woman called Lolo who lives in Dublin 24, who wanted to give only her first name, said gardai should have been called in the incident and said the death was “painful”. “I was shocked. How many white people come to the Congo and steal diamonds and gold and everything?” Bernie
Darcy said she attended the protest as a friend and a mother and thought the incident was “scandalous”. “I was angry and upset,” she said, adding that the vigil was a good opportunity for people to grieve. John Kabongo, who addressed the crowd, said his children were upset after watching the video. “My kids were so upset for the whole day, they are scared. When they saw this on the video, they said `Dad, is this really happening in Ireland?’. I don’t know how to
explain to them. “We’re asking for justice to be done. No matter where you’re from, black or white, this is not fair.” Addressing the crowd, Mr Kabongo said ” Bertie Ahern , watch your mouth next time,” referencing the former taoiseach saying “we can’t be taking in people from the Congo” while campaigning as part of the Dublin Central by-election. Mr Ahern has apologised for any offence his comments may have caused. Walter Kabangu, director of communications of the Congolese Chamber of Commerce Ireland, said
he was “shocked and saddened” at the incident. “As a community, as a whole, we demand justice to what happened,” he told the Press Association. “We don’t want more violence to take place. I went to the same secondary school as Yves as well, so to see those images was shocking and very sad.” Asked about Mr Sakila on Tuesday morning, the Taoiseach shared his sympathies with the man’s family. “My deepest sympathies go out to his family, and to the wider Congolese community,” Mr
Martin said. “The situation will have to be thoroughly investigated, and needs to be thoroughly investigated. “I don’t want to prejudice the outcome of that investigation but I think a lot of people are clearly very concerned about what has transpired here.” Meanwhile, Arnotts has issued a statement about the death of Mr Sakila – and said it was cooperating with gardai. The store said: “Everyone at Arnotts is deeply saddened by the death of Yves Sakila following the serious incident that occurred outside our
Henry Street store on Friday evening, 15 May. Our heartfelt sympathies go to his family, his friends, and the wider Congolese community in Ireland, who are grieving his loss. “No loss of life should ever be the outcome of a retail security incident. We recognise the deep hurt and concern this tragedy has caused within Dublin’s Congolese community and among the wider public, and we take those concerns with the utmost seriousness. “Arnotts is actively cooperating with An Garda Síochána in their investigations to determine
the circumstances surrounding Mr Sakila’s death, and we are conducting a full review with the independently contracted security firm that provides in store security services for Arnotts. “Arnotts cannot make any further public comment while the garda investigations remain active and we are committed to ensuring that the facts are established.” And independent policing ombudsman Fiosrú also issued an updated statement on Tuesday, stressing that its investigation did not necessarily mean gardai were being accused of wrongdoing. It said it received a referral from gardai
after Mr Sakila’s death. The statement said: “The referral was made by a Garda Superintendent under section 203(1) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. “The referral was made as a result of an incident which involved the death of an individual in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. Fiosrú’s on call team of investigators attended the scene on Friday evening and its independent investigation is ongoing. “In line with its statutory remit, Fiosrú’s investigation relates to incidents involving contact with gardaí where a member
of the public has died or been seriously injured. “A referral does not necessarily mean a garda or gardaí have been accused of wrongdoing. Instead, it means that the incident should be investigated independently by Fiosrú to ascertain whether or not the act or omission of a garda or gardaí may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person. “Currently, two separate investigations are taking place into the circumstance of the incident which resulted in a fatality, by both An Garda
Síochána and Fiosrú. “The focus of Fiosrú’s independent investigation is only on the interaction of gardaí with the deceased. Fiosrú is not investigating any civilian involvement in the incident, which is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána.” Gardai at Store Street have appealed for any witnesses to come forward. The force said: “Investigating Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward. “Additionally, they are appealing to anyone with video footage from the Henry Street area between 5pm and 5:30pm on Friday, 15th May 2026, to
contact them. “Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station on 01 6668000, the Garda Confidential Line, or any Garda Station.” Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Yves Sakila, Arnotts, Henry Street, Dublin, post mortem inconclusive, toxicology, Fiosrú, policing ombudsman, Garda investigations, vigil, Justice for Yves