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CRIME BOSS JOHN Gilligan was shot this evening shortly after 7.10pm.
The gardaí confirmed to TheJournal.ie that he is currently in Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown and his injuries are not life threatening.
The incident happened in Greenfort Crescent in Ronanstown, Dublin when two armed and masked men burst in to the house. Gilligan was shot three times in the leg and chest. He also received a graze to the head.
The two men are believed to have fled the scene in a car.
He is believed to have been in his brother’s house at the time celebrating a family christening. His sister-in-law is said to have called the ambulance.
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Investigating Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to this incident or anyone with information to contact Ronanstown Garda Station on 01-666 7700, the Garda Confidential line 1800-666-111 or any Garda Station.
The crime boss led the gang that carried out the killing of Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin, but he was later acquitted of her murder.
In 2001 he was sentenced to 28 years in prison for drug trafficking.
The 62-year-old was released from prison last October.
Shortly after his release, an attempt on his life was made at the Halfway House pub on the Navan Road.
However, Gilligan dismissed the last attempted hit as a “Halloween prank”.
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It’s just down to the calibre of the firearm and training of the assassin really.
A 9mm has to hit something major to take your life.
A double tap to the chest from a semi automatic handgun such a H&K USP in the de cocked position is actually fairly hard to achieve.
The extra trigger finger pressure required to fire off the first round can often cause a novice to throw the first round off target.
Even from a cocked position with a normal pressure single trigger pull adrenaline, fear and all the other stresses combine to make a mess of aim.
At that you need to hit vital and or cause massive blood loss,
Hitting the target in the head can cause sufficient damage even from a single round but there is no 100% chance if one shot one kill with such a small calibre.
I am reminded of a story from the USA in the early ’90s.
A very brave community activist in the Bronx when confronting a crack dealer on his stoop was shot point blank in his mouth, the round deflected of his hard palate exited his neck downwards and entered his shoulder came to rest in his back.
Standard ammo and poor shooting makes for a good chance of survival.
A shotgun with heavy shot or a deer slug would the only way to go for a novice but the mess would spread DNA evidence every where and it’s hard to conceal a shotgun pre attack.
Thanks guys its the finest off education your tax euros have paid for.
The DF don’t allow pensioners to keep their side arms and I’m sure they’d take the pension off me along with rapid incarnation.
I was of course just trying to be a smart alec, it awful that a person can be gunned down on the toilet in a suburban home in Dublin with very little chance of catching the highly dangerous criminal responsible.
Be that as it may I wouldn’t shed a single tear for the viscous little thug.
A chap was shot 16 times in LA this week and will survive . It’s really hard to take a human out unless your a trained marksman , military or special forces
Derek Casserly. Just hold the line there, while I ask intelligence. You must be one of the thirty eight eejits. Do you think I give a fiddlers fart about John Gilligan
Such shooting is standard marksmanship in particular in competition where real world requirements are replicated as opposed to trying to hit tiny areas if the target all the time.
Two rounds fired off in very quick time deliver a massive blow to the centre mass of your target hopefully resulting in a drop.
This goes out the window if the target is wearing body armour, the target will them merely fall over.
you could be just some strung out idiot with a light calibre pistol to not ‘finish the job’, one doesn’t have to be a trained marksman military or special forces to kill,,,,sure a blase of a 12 gauge to the chest would sort that. its all about tooling up.
As a master skill at arms instructor you are wrong on several points. A man capable of a shooting should be funneling his adrenaline to his benefit not his detrimement, badly trained. Standard 9mm ammo can and will do the job, the incident in the Bronx you refered to was a one in a million. Moral of the story, if you want the job done, don’t send a boy to do a mans job
It was only a matter of time. If you live by the gun, you may very well end up dying by the gun. I Just hope no bystanders were injured in the incident.
“the universe” does nothing of the sort. Pol pot, Stalin and many others died of in their beds, as will both presidents Bush and goddamned henry Kissinger.
Listening to the news you’d swear it was the pope who got plugged, an ambulance was on scene almost immediately and a trauma team we’re on standby. Why? He’s a dirtbird they should have sent a bin lorry not an ambulance and to the dump not James. Vermin john
I have been on the Journal a long time now I have never in my life seen this comment line to light up like it did in the last hour not one comment has so far come out in support. One of the most hated ever . His family must be feeling very isolated at the moment but as posts suggests you live by the gun you are more likely to die from the gun cannot find one bit of sympathy for this man or his family.
@Ollie Its not as if I just started making facts up. I’m going on what The Independent, the Irish Mirror, Today FM News and the Sunday World have been reporting.
Weren’t you arguing for the legalisation of cannabis in a thread last week, and telling people how great the stuff was? All Gilligan was ever convicted for was importing and selling cannabis, so it’s a bit of a laugh to hear people here go on as if he’s worse than Hitler.
The Gardai could have been doing with your help at the time they were investigating that, Doc. You obviously have more information than they or the courts ever did.. seeing as he was acquitted and all.
Libelous statement there The Doctor. Have screenshot your comment saved the link to your Twitter profile and will be handing it over to Mr. Gilligans family/solicitor.
Fcuking well stop replying to me then. You’re the one that decided to respond, and you’re the one talking nonsense. What evidence do you have that he ever murdered anyone?
Every Irish mother’s concern – make sure to have clean underwear in case of an accident . Hope Gilligan didn’t shit himself – then I hope he did a right scutter
That was never proved, gonna be a bit controversial here but why had she no Garda protection, Possibly the reason being she was about to bust the Ass on how corrupt and improper the Garda run there shop. Just look at what’s going on now . We need a good journalist not Paul Williams too burst the Gardas ass on this one
Sneaky feeling if the shot man is still at the scene it is more than likely he has died from his wounds. Otherwise he would be in hospital getting treatment.
According to police, the assailant was wearing Tena protective pants and had a great big Adam’s apple … They are interviewing Linda Martin in connection with incident…
John Gilligan and other SC#MBAG drug dealers out there like him, have flooded our communities the lenght and breadth of Dublin for far too long now! This current government needs to grow a pair and take these LOWLIFES on, head on, or will it end up like 30 years ago when the community stood shoulder to shoulder with each other because of the lack of an acceptable government response and took these DREGS on? Remember, it wasn’t the government, but decent people that stood up to be counted! Folks, we’ve local elections coming soon, ask our so-called representative parties when they knock, what their party will do to tackle these TOE-RAGS! And regards John Gilligan…… who gives a FU#K!
Was a matter of time,,,,,,He contaminated everybody and thing he came into contact with,,,,including all the Lives he destroyed, and their devastated Loved ones,,,,Hell would be too a good a place for him
A new beginning for crime journalism when a pioneer in frontline journalism in this country is still remembered.
Paul Williams will do his master piece article about the thug he was with same boring quotes riding the wave of a of a true investigative journalist.
I hope this will be a chapter closed when the tulip that is the so called modern frontline journo will walk away and stop with his miss informed gardai information. Rest in peace Veronica Guerin.
Am not too sorry he has been injured (critically or not) but in all seriousness I am surprised at the venomous comments. Surely the shooter is as just as scu*my and evil and should be condemned too. For all we know he (most likely a he) could be ruining lives with drugs too?!!
As I said I’m not too sad but the shooter could be another gilligan so he deserves some condemnation too. If the shooter was reading these posts he’d prob think he was some kind of hero..!
“but how will I put this ..if you live by the sword you die by the sword…”
It wasn’t a sword. It was a gun. A gun is a weapon incorporating a metal tube from which bullets, shells, or other missiles are propelled by explosive force, typically making a characteristic loud, sharp noise.
He is a father and grandfather bit respect for them i think,shall we all go around shooting the bad guys?we have Garda beating up people thugs killing each other what have we all come to, big clap to the Thugs that shot him? Wonder how many innocent family’s they have destroyed? Many I’d say
Live by the sword … Seems he’s been upsetting a few newbys in the drug trade and they don’t like the sleeveen ever getting a grip again . It also looks like it’s not a hired hit as he would have received a double tap to the head at the end to make sure .. Anyway anything else happening ?
Generally speaking a gangster with a gun wouldnt get hours of practice like members of the army or gardai(who use guns) do. Plus theyre probably on something to give tjem the courage to go do it.
One shot into the T area of his face, avoiding contact with his skull, instantly severing his brain stem,He wouldn’t have any reflex action , He’d drop like a bag of spuds.
John Gilligan and these gangland drug criminals are with us because of the prohibition of drugs. Like it or not but drugs will always be here and so will guys like this to cash in on this multi-billion euro industry.
We could continue with our current approach.
It has cost our people over 100,000s convictions in the lat number of years.
It has created murderous thugs like Gilligan.
It has not stopped drugs in society in fact it is making things cheaper and more unstable.
Or we can follow in the footsteps of Washington and Colorado.
Colorado is expecting to generate $184M in tax from cannabis sales in 2014.
His warped mind convinced himself that he was untouchable,,,The reality is that while he was imprisoned he left his patch to other criminals to take over
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