LimerickShooting: Gang feud fears after murder bid
The convicted crime boss, it emerged, may have taken off his bullet-proof vest on arrival at a gym in the University of Limerick campus - or possibly as it was a warm morning.
Although critically injured, he survived a hail of bullets from two gunmen.
One Garda theory is the shooting may have been organised by rival gang members, currently behind bars.
Keane was hit four times in the upper body after his attackers opened fire as he arrived at the University of Limerick for a regular morning workout in the gym at the Arena building.
The attack occurred shortly after 6.35am when 54-year-old Mr Keane, a married father-of-two, drove into the car park in his black 4x4.
As the men, armed with automatic handguns, ran towards Mr Keane’s Nissan vehicle, he jumped from the vehicle and made a dash towards the athletic track.
He fell critically wounded, after being pierced in the upper body by four bullets.
Gardaí later found two burnt-out cars: a red-coloured 132-D registered Ford Focus hatchback discovered at Monaleen; and a UK-registered white Volvo estate at Drombana.
Mr Keane had driven to UL from his home at Sigland Gardens. Gardaí suspect a number of people were involved in tracking his journey and liaised with the gunmen.
He was still in a critical condition at University Hospital Limerick last night.
A major player in the drugs business, he had been jailed in 2002 for 10 years after gardaí nabbed him moving cannabis in a coal bag near his base in St Mary’s Park.
He previously survived an attempt on his life in November 2000 when a former associate, Eddie Ryan, tried to shoot him.
The incident and Mr Ryan’s murder days later had been the catalyst to an out-of-control city feud which claimed at least 18 lives over 10 years, including a number of innocent victims.
In recent months, gardaí deployed extra armed patrols in a number of areas of the city following serious incidents involving younger members of rival families connected to the feud.
Supt Derek Smart and Det Supt Jim Ryan are leading the investigation into yesterday’s shooting.
Supt Smart said gardaí were alerted shortly before 6.45am to the shooting and on arrival at the scene found a wounded man who was removed to University Hospital Limerick.
Garda Technical Bureau detectives were still working at the scene last night. Supt Smart said: “It is very early in the investigation and we have not yet been able to speak to the injured party.”
A Garda source said yesterday’s attempted murder “has ratcheted up lingering feud tensions which have led to a number of incidents since last December”.
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