This weeks (up to 31/12/2012) shootings Who Died?
Drug Lord killed in house party horror
Dealer dead after he was accidentally shot by gun
Killed yesterday after apparently being accidentally shot with a shotgun at a house party in Co. Kildare was Ned Hamilton (33), was rushed to Naas General Hospital with serious gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after 6am yesterday morning.
Gardai are investigating the nature of the shooting, which is believed to have taken place during a boozy party in his home at Kilmeague, near Naas.
Treated
It is understood that a legallyheld shotgun was being passed around at the party before it went off, killing Hamilton and injuring another man. Last night, the second man, a 50-year-old who is a close friend of Hamilton's, was being treated for gunshot wounds to the hand. Hamilton, who had been in a longterm relationship, was well-known to gardai and had convictions for burglary, assault and drugs. He had links to senior members of a drugs gang lead by Kildare basedgodfather Troy Jordan.
A source has revealed that Hamilton was suspected of involvement in the double murder of Andy Barry and Zilvinas Varnauskas in March. Mobster Barry, a step-nephew of Troy Jordan, was executed in his house in Kilcock, Co. Kildare along with Varnauskas, by a masked gunman. Hamilton, who did some work for a roadmarking company, was never charged in connection with the incident.
A source said: "He was heavily involved in the drugs trade and collected cash for a number of drug dealers, including Barry. However, after Barry was killed Hamilton was named as a potential suspect."
Hamilton, originally from Carragh in Co. Kildare, had been involved in the drugs trade for more than a decade and was a former associate of trafficker Liam Judge.
A source has claimed Hamilton was once beaten to "within an inch" of his life by Judge - who acted as bagman for John Gilligan's drug gang - over a missing drug shipment. The bungalow where he was shot is just a short drive away along a quiet country back road from the village of Kilmeague. It is part of a complex of former farmhouses that are now inhabited by members of his extended family.
Terror
Neighbours refused to speak about those caught up in the early morning shooting and at one stage a young man threatened a press photographer. However, villagers in Kilmeague spoke carefully about the deceased man, who was described as a "local terror"."He was caught up in a feud with the Judges and gravestones were even smashed in a local cemetery. It was nasty stuff. He was a header, you crossed the road to avoid him," one local said.
GUN VICTIM Christopher 'Git' Warren poses with a photo of his murdered gangster brother Paul on Christmas Day - just three days before he was shot dead. This exclusive image shows Warren paying tribute to his slain brother while on temporary release from prison for Christmas last week.
In 2004, Paul Warren (23), was murdered by the Rattigan gang in a sickening pub shooting as part of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud. It is believed he was executed by hitman Gary Bryan in revenge for the murder of mobster Brian Rattigan's younger brother, Joey.
Shockingly, three days after paying tribute to his dead brother, 'Git' Warren (35), would also be gunned down on the streets of Dublin. The chronic crack cocaine addict - who was allowed out of prison for the festive season - was shot twice in the upper body just after 6pm on Friday on Constitution Hill on the city's northside.
Target
Gardai believe Warren was one of the country's most prolific burglars and had amassed more than 60 separate convictions for house robberies. He was a major target for Operation Fiacla, the nationwide Garda campaign in the crackdown on burglaries. However, he was not regarded as either a member of, or a target for, any of the capital's feuding drugs gangs.Detectives initially considered if Warren had been the victim of an accidental discharge from a firearm. However, they are now convinced he was deliberately killed - possibility over a drugs debt - and are reviewing CCTV. It is believed that Warren may have been lured to the northside of the city before being shot twice in the upper body. Warren's brutal death is not being linked to the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud or the increase in gangland tensions as a result of the recent return of 'Fat' Freddie Thompson to the country.
Last night, a man in his late 20s remained in custody in Kevin Street Garda station in connection with the murder. A source claimed the criminal - who is from the Coolock area of north Dublin and is well known to gardai - was a pal of Warren's and helped drop him to St James's Hospital.
"He is not suspected of pulling the trigger but is being questioned in relation to suspected withholding of information about who shot Warren."
It is believed that Warren spent the majority of Friday boozing and gambling with pals in the south inner-city.
Just after five o'clock, he said he was going to a pub near Broadstone on the city's northside. However, one hour later Warren sustained a gunshot wound to the chest area.
Despite his injuries, Warren personally raised the alarm and phoned his pal to tell him that he had been shot.
He was then picked up by his friend who drove him to St James's Hospital before throwing him out of the car. Medics rushed Mr Warren inside for emergency treatment but he died shortly before 7pm. The car used to take him to hospital, a blue C180 Mercedes, was later found on nearby Cork Street. It was not burned out and will be forensically examined.
Yesterday, senior detectives were reviewing a number of theories, including that Warren was involved in a dispute over a drugs debt. However, they are also checking to see if he was targeted because of a personal matter. Last night they sealed off an area near the Broadstone Bus Station in connection with their investigation. Meanwhile,Warren's parents were being comforted in their home in St Teresa's Gardens in the city by family and friends.
The brutal gun death comes nearly nine years after the murder of Paul Warren shocked the nation. Warren (23), was shot dead in the toilets of a pub in Newmarket Square in the Liberties area of Dublin on February 25, 2004. Two masked gunmen entered the pub and pursued the victim into the toilets where they shot him. The drug dealer, who was regarded as a minor member of the Thompson gang, had previously been arrested in connection with the murder of Joey Rattigan (18), in July 2002.
Gary Bryan was charged with Paul Warren's murder, but was acquitted after a key witness withdrew her evidence. Bryan was himself murdered in 2006. 'Git' Warren was a chronic heroin and crack cocaine addict who had spent a large part of his adult life behind bars and had more than 150 convictions.
In 2011, he was sentenced to six years in prison with three suspended after pleading guilty to a string of house burglaries. Dublin Circuit Court heard how he had weighed just seven stone when he was arrested in 2009 as a result of his drug addiction. A court heard how Warren told gardai he was using crack cocaine and needed money to pay off his debts. Warren's lawyer claimed he had suffered a drug overdose in 2002 and absconded to the UK for five years to get away from drugs.
Relapse
He subsequently returned to Ireland "to face the music" but relapsed into drug use in 2008 while in Mountjoy Prison. Warren's sister said her family was devastated at his death."He was a wonderful brother," she said. "I can't believe I have to buy funeral clothes for another brother.
"He was dumped off like a piece of meat."
Two gun deaths over the weekend mean there were a total of 23 deaths in 2012 as a result of firearms. Figures compiled up to December 20 showed there were 51 murders committed this year, compared with 38 for the corresponding period in 2011. Fourteen of the killings were officially categorised as "organised crime", an increase of 10 on last year's total.
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