Brothers of shot former councillor arrested

THREE brothers of former Limerick councillor Michael Kelly, who died from a shotgun blast to the head, were arrested by gardaí yesterday.

Mr Kelly, aged 48, was discovered at his mother’s house at Lilac Court, Southill, on May 14. He never regained consciousness and died a month later at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.

More than 30 gardaí, led by armed detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, raided over five houses yesterday and arrested Anthony, Francis and Stephen Kelly. They were arrested at two houses in Southill before 8.30am yesterday morning.

They were being held for questioning yesterday at Henry Street Garda Station in Limerick under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. They can be detained by gardaí for up to three days without charge.

A senior garda source said the three men were being questioned about “possession of information” relating to the incident in which Mr Kelly suffered the gunshot wound.

These are the first arrests in the investigation into the shooting of the controversial former councillor eight weeks ago. Mr Kelly’s brother, Anthony, has always maintained his elder brother was shot by someone who entered his mother’s house at Lilac Court.

However, no weapon was ever found and gardaí have been investigating the possibility that Mr Kelly’s gunshot wound may have been self-inflicted.

Limerick Chief Superintendent Jerry Kelly took the decision to call in detectives from the Dublin-based National Bureau of Criminal Investigation following the apparent reluctance of Kelly family members to co-operate with previous garda investigations in Limerick.

Local gardaí had to obtain a warrant to enter Michael Kelly’s mother’s house on the morning the former councillor was found.