Armed detectives and members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) are to be drafted into gangland black spots in Limerick City in an effort to prevent renewed gun violence after a man was shot dead late on Monday night.
Gary Grant, a 25-year-old father of three, was shot dead a short distance from his home at St Ita's St in the St Mary's Park housing estate. A gunman is believed to have approached his victim on foot and fired three shots, one of which was fatal, from a handgun at around 10.15pm.
A 20-year-old local man who knew the victim was arrested in St Mary's Psrk a short time after the murder. Reliable Garda sources said the murder was part of an internal dispute within the Keane gang in Limerick city.
"We're not sure of the exact reason for the row but we're satisfied it was an internal dispute," said one reliable senior Garda source.
Both the suspect and the victim have been linked to the Keane gang in recent years. However, they were peripheral rather than leading members. The Keane gang has been involved in a seven-year feud with two other factions which has so far claimed nine lives.
Mr Grant had just left his partner and three children at his home when he was targeted by the lone gun man.
Armed members of the ERU and local gardaí were in the immediate vicinity at the time, having spent much of the night working on St Ita's St. They had set up a series of checkpoints in response to eight gun attacks in Limerick in the past week. Three of those attacks took place in St Mary's Park.
Two weeks ago a 21-year-old local man was wounded in a gun attack in the area.
When Monday's fatal shooting took place the gardaí in the area rushed to the scene. They had medical equipment in their vehicles and attended to Mr Grant as he lay wounded on the ground.
He was taken by ambulance to the Mid West Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A post mortem revealed he died from one gunshot wound to the upper body.
Supt John Kerin confirmed that the armed members of the ERU were just finishing their armed checkpoint at the top of St Ita's St when the murder took place.
"I've no doubt that the gunman knew that the armed people were in the area. It certainly shows quite an amount of bravado. We have had extensive armed patrols in the area and they will continue and indeed be increased in the coming days in the hope to quell any tit-for-tat reprisals that may occur," he said.
Members of the Dublin-based organised crime unit are also set to be drafted into the city. Local officers have been promised additional resources, including the Garda helicopter and the National Surveillance Unit, in their monitoring of known criminals and crime black spots.
The arrested man was not armed when he was detained after the killing. However a firearm and ammunition had been found in St Mary's Park last night. Searches were continuing in the city last night.
The suspect was detained at Henry St garda station. He was being questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for up to 72 hours without charge.