Pensioners arrested in gun murder probe
An 80-year-old man and a woman in her 70s, arrested in the St Mary’s Park area, and were last night being questioned at Mayorstone Garda Station, in relation to Monday’s gun murder of Gareth Grant.
They pair are believed to be related a 20-year-old man arrested in a house near the scene, who was still being questioned last night.
It has emerged that the victim of yesterday’s shooting may have been killed because a gun he hired from a feuding gang in the area was recently discovered by gardaí.
According to local sources, Mr Grant, 25, was shot dead on the orders of the notorious St Mary’s Park gang because he was unable to pay for the gun.
He was gunned down just yards away from an armed Garda patrol — hit by at least one 9mm bullet from a handgun, after leaving his house. Preliminary post-mortem results show Mr Grant died from a single bullet wound to the upper body.
A gun, believed to be the murder weapon, and a bag of ammunition, were discovered by gardaí in St Mary’s Park yesterday afternoon.
Superintendent John Kerin, who is heading the murder hunt, said six armed detectives and two uniformed gardaí were patrolling St Mary’s Park at 10.15pm on Monday, when shots rang out on St Ita’s Street.
Two detectives were on St Ita’s Street at the time, he added.
“There was undoubtedly an element of bravado from the culprit, as the armed officers would have been clearly visible,” said Supt Kerin.
Gardaí rushed to the scene on hearing the shots and tried to revive Mr Grant with their patrol car medical kit, but he was pronounced dead at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.
The murder of the father-of-three comes after a week of shootings in St Mary’s Park that have been linked to a gang based on the estate, who are at the centre of the investigation into Mr Grant’s murder.
The gang took over a lucrative money-lending business in St Mary’s Park several months ago after a married couple — who had been the main money lenders in the area — were arrested by gardaí.
Recent shootings are believed to be “pay up reminders” to people who fell behind in their loan repayments. There were four shootings on the estate in one night, according to local sources.
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy and Deputy Commissioner Fachtna Murphy sent Dublin-based Emergency Response Unit members into the estate last Thursday.
Families in five houses, meanwhile, were put up in a hotel as gardaí moved to take control of much of St Ita’s Street for technical forensic examinations.
Limerick gardaí, meanwhile, launched a suspicious death investigation yesterday after a Polish national, seriously assaulted in the city centre more than two weeks ago, died on Monday.
Two Polish nationals were yesterday arrested in Limerick and are being held in connection with the death of Mateusz Sabik, aged 20, who died after going into a coma at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.
Supt Kerin said one was being held on suspicion of violent disorder and the other on suspicion of assaulting the deceased man.
Two groups of Polish nationals clashed in Ellen Street on the night of September 29.
Mr Sabik was taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, where gardaí were able to speak to him. Supt Kerin said his condition deteriorated on Saturday, before he died on Monday.
