Limerick crime figure on life support after 'accidental' shooting
A LEADING member of the Keane-Collopy gang in the city is fighting for his life in hospital.
Philip Collopy, 29, is understood to have been playing "Russian roulette" on Friday night in St Mary's Park when he accidentally shot himself in the head, sources have claimed.
Gardai have not disclosed the exact sequence of events, but are treating the shooting as accidental.
His condition is described as critical, and the Health Service Executive confirmed that the victim was still on a life support machine in hospital as of this Sunday evening.
At around 2am on Saturday morning the armed garda support unit was on patrol in the St Mary's Park Estate in Limerick.
They were alerted to a shooting by a youth who came running out of a house on St Munchin Street.
The victim was found collapsed in the house.
He was taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital with what is thought to be a gunshot wound to the head.
Garda ealed off the scene and a technical examination took place Saturday afternoon.
A Glock handgun and ammunition were recovered at the scene and garda are trying to establish exactly how the man sustained his injuries.
Mr Collopy has previous convictions for possession of a weapon, assault, escaping from custody and criminal damage.
In 2007, he received a suspended 16-month prison sentence for threatening to kill a Moyross man in the early hours of October 30. His older brother Ray was also charged with the same offence.
In November 2007, his crime associate Liam Keane was jailed for 10 months for stealing Mr Collopy's Audi vehicle following a party in St Mary's Park on September 2.
The black '07 car, valued at 37,000, was later found crashed and on fire in Finglas, West Dublin.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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