Drug dealer saved as hitman’s gun jams
Eamonn Kelly, a notorious criminal, survived the attempt on his life when the would-be assassin confronted him outside his house on Furry Park Road in Killester on Saturday morning.
The incident which occurred at around 10.30am has raised fears among gardaí that it will spark a freshseries of retaliatory attacks among Dublin’s gangland leaders.
The weapon jammed as the attacker held the gun up to Kelly’s head and pulled on the trigger.
Gardaí believe the assailant managed to flee the scene on foot after abandoning a getaway car in the area.
“The gun was pointed to his head and Kelly should be dead now. But the gun failed and the hit was botched. He was incredibly lucky and escaped without injury,” said a Garda source.
Although the incident was reported to gardaí, Kelly has refused to co-operate with the inquiry and has denied that any attack on him took place.
The 63-year-old grandfather had been warned by gardaí in recent months that his life was in danger as he had become a target for arival criminal gang.
Kelly was advised to review his personal safety after falling out with other criminals over the sale and supply of drugs in the capital.
The veteran criminal was sentenced to 14 years in jail in 1993 after being convicted of smuggling cocaine into Ireland from the US, while he also has a criminal record for robbery and assault.
