Philip Collopy dies after shooting accident
A LEADING member of the Collopy-Keane gang, who recently revealed that his life was constantly under threat, died in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital last night after accidentally shooting himself in the head.
The Health Service Executive confirmed the death of Philip Collopy, 29, occurred at 8.30pm on Sunday night, after it was agreed to turn off the life-support machine.
It is understood that his family, including some members who now reside in Spain, were at his bedside throughout the weekend.
Mr Collopy is understood to have been playing with the gun with a friend in St Mary's Park when he accidentally shot himself in the head in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Gardai have also seized a mobile phone which captured images of the deceased playing with the gun, and reportedly showing others in his company how to fire the gun.
Other sources have claimed he was playing "Russian roulette", or that he had taken a loaded magazine out of the handgun and was inspecting it, but did not realise there was a live bullet in the chamber.
Mr Collopy was well-known to gardai and most recently hit the headlines in February last, when he took to the witness box in Limerick Circuit Court, during the trial of Liam 'Baby' Kelly, wearing a bullet-proof vest, which he displayed to the jury.
During the trial, Brendan Nix, SC, asked Mr Collopy why he felt the need to wear the protective clothing, to which he responded: "Sure I get shot at every week."
Mr Collopy went on to claim that there had been several attempts made on his life in recent years.
Gardai are treating the death of Mr Collopy as 'accidental' and are not looking for anyone in connection to the incident.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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