GARDAÍ IN Limerick have seized a mobile phone which may contain an image of the moment a well-known local criminal accidentally shot himself in the head.
Philip Collopy (29) was pronounced dead on Sunday night at the Mid Western Regional Hospital after his life support machine was turned off.
He was critically injured after he accidentally shot himself with a Glock pistol at a house on St Munchin’s Street at 2am last Saturday. There were at least five other people in the house at the time and gardaí are examining a mobile phone, which they seized from the house on the night along with the firearm and ammunition.
The mobile phone does not contain video footage, gardaí say, but it is believed it was used to capture images of Mr Collopy playing with the gun and reportedly showing others how to use it.
No drugs were found at the scene and gardaí are awaiting the results of toxicology tests which will determine whether or not Mr Collopy had consumed alcohol or drugs on the night of his death.
Contrary to speculation gardaí do not believe Collopy was playing Russian roulette when he shot himself, as this game is only possible with a revolver-type weapon, according to some sources.
It is believed the father of two was showing others how to use the gun and took the magazine out of the Glock pistol but forgot to remove the live round from the breach when he shot himself.
A convicted criminal, Collopy was well known to gardaí and was a leading member of the Keane/ Collopy criminal gang which has been involved in a feud with the McCarthy/Dundon faction.
On the night Kieran Keane was killed in January 2003, members of the McCarthy-Dundon murder gang tried to lure Collopy and his brother Kieran to a meeting so that they too could be shot dead.
In 2003 he was jailed for two years for violent disorder while in 2007 he and his brother Ray were given a 16-month sentence after threatening to kill another man.
He was recently targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau, which seized a house, two cars and a substantial amount of cash from members of his family. His brother Brian’s house was seized by the Cab two years ago as part of a €470,000 settlement.
Last month Philip Collopy was a witness in a case at the Circuit Criminal Court in Limerick, where he arrived wearing a bulletproof vest which he showed to the jury. When asked why he needed to wear it, he replied: “Sure I get shot at every week.” He claimed there had been several attempts made on his life in recent years.
Members of the armed Regional Support Unit who were on duty in the St Mary’s Park estate on the night of his death arrived within minutes of the shooting. Collopy was rushed to the Mid Western Regional Hospital but it was feared from the outset he would not recover due to the severity of his head injury and his life support machine was turned off at 8.30pm on Sunday.
It is understood his family, including some members who now reside in Spain, were at his bedside throughout the weekend.
He will be buried tomorrow after 11am Mass at St Mary’s Church in Limerick.