A post mortem carried out on Yves Sakila was inconclusive and Irish police are awaiting further tests, including toxicology results, it has emerged after he died after being held outside the Arnotts store
A post mortem examination has been unable to determine a conclusive cause of death for the man who died following his detention on suspicion of shoplifting at Dublin’s Arnotts department store.
Sources have confirmed that the autopsy performed on Congolese national Yves Sakila, who passed away on Friday, returned inconclusive results. It is also understood that gardaí are awaiting further analysis, including toxicology testing, to examine Mr Sakila’s system.
Those results are not expected to be available for several weeks. Mr Sakila, who had lived in Ireland for 22 years, was apprehended by security staff outside the Henry Street entrance of Arnotts on Friday afternoon on suspicion of theft from the store.
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Sources indicate that he was alleged to have stolen at least two bottles of scent from the store, reports the Irish Mirror. Mr Sakila, who had accumulated numerous criminal convictions since 2011 and had served multiple prison sentences, died just five months after receiving a €110 (£95) fine for stealing perfume from the very same shop.
He was handed the fine at Dublin District Court on January 13 for stealing perfume valued at €106 (£91.69) from Arnotts on June 10 last year. Two separate inquiries have now been launched into Mr Sakila’s death — one conducted by the gardaí themselves, and another by Fiosrú, the policing ombudsman.
This follows the fact that gardaí were called to the scene and had direct contact with Mr Sakila after security personnel detained him on Henry Street on Friday afternoon. The Irish Mirror disclosed yesterday that gardaí momentarily restrained him with handcuffs while attending to an 80-year-old pensioner Mr Sakila had collided with and hurt during his attempt to flee the store.
However, within moments, the gardaí noticed Mr Sakila had become unresponsive and commenced CPR on him. He was subsequently transported urgently to the Mater Hospital, where he was declared dead on Friday evening.
Word of the uncertain cause of death emerged as over 100 individuals staged a vigil outside Arnotts on Tuesday morning following Mr Sakila’s death. Footage of the incident, which has circulated online and through messaging platforms, has been labelled “deeply disturbing” and has sparked anxiety amongst minority communities.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin conveyed his condolences to the man’s relatives and stated the incident requires “thoroughly” examining. 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 midday, scores of people assembled at a vigil in Henry Street and placed red roses and flowers at a location along the bustling retail thoroughfare.
The crowd chanted “Justice for Yves” and “no more violence”, and carried handmade signs, including one that said “Black lives matter here too”. Those gathered voiced their horror at his passing, with many saying that footage purportedly showing part of the incident was deeply distressing.
“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 Dublin 24 resident named Lolo, who wished to be identified only by her first name, insisted the authorities should have been contacted during the incident, describing the death as “painful”.
“I was shocked. How many white people come to the Congo and steal diamonds and gold and everything?”, she said. 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 offered those affected a valuable chance to mourn together. John Kabongo, who spoke to those assembled, revealed his children had been left shaken after viewing the footage.
“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.”
Speaking to the gathered crowd, Mr Kabongo declared “Bertie Ahern, watch your mouth next time,” in a direct reference to the former taoiseach’s remarks that “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 eSporty News. “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.”
When questioned about Mr Sakila on Tuesday morning, the Taoiseach expressed his condolences to the man’s loved ones. “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.”
In the meantime, Arnotts released a statement regarding Mr Sakila’s death, confirming it was working alongside gardaí. The retailer stated: “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.”
Meanwhile, independent policing watchdog Fiosrú released an updated statement on Tuesday, emphasising that its investigation did not necessarily mean gardaí were being accused of wrongdoing. It confirmed receiving a referral from gardaí following Mr Sakila’s death.
The statement read: “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.”
Officers at Store Street have issued an appeal for witnesses to step forward. The force stated: “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.”
