5 days ago
Horror moment thugs open fire as gangland drive-by shooting caught on camera in Irish city on edge amid ‘revenge' fears
A PRIEST has warned a feud will lead to 'loss of life' as masked gangsters filmed a drive-by shooting that has left a city on edge.
The brazen thugs recently recorded themselves as they blasted a gun from a speeding car's window in
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The terrifying video shows a gloved thug reach for the weapon while driving
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The gunman aims the gun out the window of a speeding car in the recording
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A series of shots are fired from the car window
And as the attacks escalate, it has left locals fearing it's just a matter of time before someone is killed.
Local priest Fr Richard Keane has now committed to holding an open-air mass in the city, where he will call for an end to the
The gunmen were recorded firing nine shots from a vehicle, aimed at houses in the Hyde Road area of Limerick city.
It comes as a feud in the area has spiked in recent months, with petrol bomb attacks and drive-by shootings — similar to a dispute that killed 20 people in the late Nineties and early 2000s, involving the Keane-Collopys, the Ryans and the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
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Fr Keane, a Janesboro native, said: 'I want to pray for peace and for people to respect their neighbours.
'I just want people to appreciate their neighbours and put an end to any actions or anti-social behaviour that is putting our community in a bad light or having people in fear.'
He continued: 'Ultimately, if it continues going the way it is going it will end up with loss of life.
'So anytime someone's life is in danger, no matter who they are, you'd have to be concerned — especially for young people.
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'It turns into a spiral of violence — there is revenge and retribution, and you have a cycle of violence.
'You hope that will be avoided and that this will stop before someone loses their life.'
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Fr Keane said that his door is always open to anyone with concerns.
He added: 'I'm always here to listen and to pray for people and to support them in any way I can.
'I just want every single person in the community to feel safe and sound, and protected, and happy to be living there.'
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Fr Richard Keane is set to hold an open-air mass calling for an end to the violence
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The priest has told of the distress caused to locals
Holding out hope for a positive change ahead of the open-air mass, Fr Keane also praised leaders at the local community centre, local
He said: 'The vast majority of the people living in the parish are good, decent people and they just want to live in peace.
'VERY UPSETTING'
'At next Wednesday's mass near the statue of Our Lady, at the back of the church, we are going to remember anyone who has died locally down through the years for various reasons.
'A lot of young people have died from drug overdoses, so we are going to remember those people.
"We are going to pray for a good community, for peace and a good sense of togetherness and neighbourhood — to bring people together.'
'I just want people to appreciate their neighbours and put an end to any actions or anti-social behaviour that is putting our community in a bad light or having people in fear.'
Fr Richard Keane
Fr Keane added: 'There is a great community centre here with great community initiatives and the school has a brilliant principal and staff who work so hard for the area too.
'They all have their hearts in the right place, they are committed in trying to give the kids in the area the best education and opportunities, and to allow them to discover their gifts and talents and to try and be positive in their lives — and that needs to be acknowledged too.
'IT'S CYCLICAL'
'Obviously, places have anti-social problems, and a situation like this is very upsetting.
'We know how it finishes up, its cyclical — you can have an end to a feud and things are quiet for ten years, then things kick off again.'
Fr Keane said he was 'very much one hundred per cent' proud to be a Limerick native, adding: 'I just want to see the best for the city.'
He also called on authorities to continue to provide resources for young people to attack 'boredom' in their lives.
Fr Keane said: 'If people are idle and have nothing to do, they can find themselves going down the wrong road.
'But if people have something to do or have something to engage in, then there is less chance of them going down the wrong path.'
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The passenger in the car during the shooting kept their face hidden under a balaclava
