Pressure on Shatter after sixth murder in one week
A BROTHER of two convicted hitmen has been gunned down in his home minutes after collecting his eight-year-old daughter from school.
He became the third gangland murder victim in five days as violence returned to the streets with a vengeance.
John Wilson, who was the prime suspect for a triple shooting in Dublin two years ago, was shot dead in the hallway of his home yesterday by an attacker who had followed him inside.
Last night gardai arrested a man in his thirties and took him to Ballyfermot station for questioning. He was held under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, which means he can be held for seven days without charge.
The murder, the sixth in little over a week, will heap further pressure on Justice Minister Alan Shatter to take decisive action against gangs.
Gardai believe Wilson (35) was probably killed as part of a feud with a local westside gang involved in drug trafficking.
They are also examining other options, including Wilson's involvement in a row with the Real IRA faction whose boss, Alan Ryan, was murdered earlier this month.
Wilson was the prime suspect in the shooting of three innocent men as they stood
outside the Players Lounge pub in Fairview Strand in 2010. The three survived, and gardai think the gunman planned to shoot Real IRA members he thought were frequenting the premises.
The father of an eight-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, Wilson had collected his daughter from a local school and walked her home. But he left the girl at a neighbour's on the way and she did not witness the shooting.
As he turned the key of the front door of his home at Cloverhill Road in Cherry Orchard and walked into the hall shortly before 3pm, he was followed by a masked man.
The killer opened fire with a handgun and shot him several times in the back. He then ran to a waiting car.
The car, a brown Volkswagen Passat estate, registration 08D57734, had been stolen from a house in Celbridge, Co Kildare, early on Wednesday. It was found burnt out near the scene of the shooting.
Enemies
Mr Wilson was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Gardai said he had created many enemies and had been in conflict with members of different gangs, but they believe a row between him and local criminals involved in drugs was likely to have been the motive for the shooting.
Mr Wilson was the third Dublin man living under threat from gangland figures to be shot dead in a week. The other two were killed in front of their children.
Last Monday Gerard Eglington (27), who had moved from Dublin to Co Laois after becoming embroiled in the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, was shot dead in front of his children.
Less than 12 hours later Declan O'Reilly (32) was shot four times as he walked along the South Circular Road in the capital with his young son.
Mr Wilson's two younger brothers, Keith (24) and Eric (28), are serving lengthy sentences for murder.
Keith Wilson was convicted last year of the murder of gangland figure Daniel Gaynor in Finglas and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Eric Wilson is serving a 23-year sentence in Spain after murdering British criminal Daniel Smith on the Costa del Sol. He is believed by gardai to have been involved in at least three murders here and is on the shortlist of suspects for two others.
Irish Independent
Source http://www.independent.ie/national-news/pressure-on-shatter-after-sixth-murder-in-one-week-3243826.html
He became the third gangland murder victim in five days as violence returned to the streets with a vengeance.
John Wilson, who was the prime suspect for a triple shooting in Dublin two years ago, was shot dead in the hallway of his home yesterday by an attacker who had followed him inside.
Last night gardai arrested a man in his thirties and took him to Ballyfermot station for questioning. He was held under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, which means he can be held for seven days without charge.
The murder, the sixth in little over a week, will heap further pressure on Justice Minister Alan Shatter to take decisive action against gangs.
Gardai believe Wilson (35) was probably killed as part of a feud with a local westside gang involved in drug trafficking.
They are also examining other options, including Wilson's involvement in a row with the Real IRA faction whose boss, Alan Ryan, was murdered earlier this month.
Wilson was the prime suspect in the shooting of three innocent men as they stood
outside the Players Lounge pub in Fairview Strand in 2010. The three survived, and gardai think the gunman planned to shoot Real IRA members he thought were frequenting the premises.
The father of an eight-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, Wilson had collected his daughter from a local school and walked her home. But he left the girl at a neighbour's on the way and she did not witness the shooting.
As he turned the key of the front door of his home at Cloverhill Road in Cherry Orchard and walked into the hall shortly before 3pm, he was followed by a masked man.
The killer opened fire with a handgun and shot him several times in the back. He then ran to a waiting car.
The car, a brown Volkswagen Passat estate, registration 08D57734, had been stolen from a house in Celbridge, Co Kildare, early on Wednesday. It was found burnt out near the scene of the shooting.
Enemies
Mr Wilson was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Gardai said he had created many enemies and had been in conflict with members of different gangs, but they believe a row between him and local criminals involved in drugs was likely to have been the motive for the shooting.
Mr Wilson was the third Dublin man living under threat from gangland figures to be shot dead in a week. The other two were killed in front of their children.
Last Monday Gerard Eglington (27), who had moved from Dublin to Co Laois after becoming embroiled in the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, was shot dead in front of his children.
Less than 12 hours later Declan O'Reilly (32) was shot four times as he walked along the South Circular Road in the capital with his young son.
Mr Wilson's two younger brothers, Keith (24) and Eric (28), are serving lengthy sentences for murder.
Keith Wilson was convicted last year of the murder of gangland figure Daniel Gaynor in Finglas and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Eric Wilson is serving a 23-year sentence in Spain after murdering British criminal Daniel Smith on the Costa del Sol. He is believed by gardai to have been involved in at least three murders here and is on the shortlist of suspects for two others.
Irish Independent
Source http://www.independent.ie/national-news/pressure-on-shatter-after-sixth-murder-in-one-week-3243826.html
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