A burnt-out car found in the Corbally area of the city is believed to have been the vehicle used by the gang who shot and killed a well-known Limerick criminal in a pub on Sunday. The red Vauxhall Cavalier, believed to have been stolen in the nearby village of Murroe, Co Limerick, at the weekend, was wrapped in plastic yesterday and preserved for examination. An area around the Moose public house, on Cathedral Place in the city centre, remained sealed off to traffic for a second night as gardai continued their technical examination of the scene.
The murder victim was named yesterday as Eddie Ryan (40), of Hogan Avenue, Killeely, in the north of the city. Supt Tony Kennelly, of Henry Street Garda station, who is leading the investigation, said a number of bullet shells had been recovered both inside and outside the Moose pub.
He added that 50 detectives had been assigned to the case.
While there are fears that the killing was the result of inter-gang rivalry, Supt Kennelly said gardai still had an open mind on the motive. There is speculation that Eddie Ryan was linked to a number of incidents in the city recently when shots were fired at houses.
Supt Kennelly appealed for witnesses to any unusual activity in the Corbally or Cathedral Place area on Sunday night to come forward.
Two men, wearing balaclavas, entered the pub at 9.55 p.m. on Sunday and shot Mr Ryan at close range while he was seated. He received several wounds to the upper body and was pronounced dead at Limerick Regional Hospital.
The Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, carried out a post-mortem yesterday afternoon.
Mr Ryan had been attending the removal of the remains of his brother-in-law, Mr Patrick Collins, to St John's Cathedral and had gone to the pub afterwards.
Insp John Murphy said it was now believed the mother and daughter wounded in the attack were hit by stray bullets when shots were fired inside the pub.
They were seriously injured but their conditions were described as stable yesterday evening. The two wounded women were named as Mary and Deirdre Reddan, of Cregan Avenue, which is close to Eddie Ryan's home.
At least three shots were fired through the pub windows from the getaway car when the attackers were making their getaway.
"There are bullet holes outside but we believe their trajectory was too high and hit nobody inside," Insp Murphy said.
Alderman Michael Kelly, of Limerick Corporation appealed for calm following the shooting, saying that nobody wanted revenge attacks.
"I was very close to him in the early stages of my life. When I changed my life, he decided to go another way. We have always remained friends," he said.
Gardai are concerned at the number of handguns believed to be in circulation throughout the city. Last year, 60 unlicensed guns were seized in the city. Insp Murphy added that shooting was becoming the preferred way of carrying out attacks.
"The day of the knife is slowly disappearing. With every supply of major drugs, there are very often a supply of firearms to go with them, especially short arms," he said.