Gardaí launch murder hunt in Limerick; deceased had been arrested prior to killing
A man murdered in Limerick was arrested hours beforehand for public disorder and being intoxicated in a public place,
Gerard Freyne, 53, was found by a passer-by lying on his back, on Lord Edward Street, Limerick, Wednesday, having sustained serious head injuries. He died Friday morning from his injuries in the Intensive Care Unit at Cork University Hospital.
Gardaí launched a murder investigation after receiving the results of a post mortem on Mr Freyne's body, conducted by deputy state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.
"We have upgraded our initial assault probe to a murder investigation," said Chief Superintendent David Sheahan.
Gardaí said they would not be disclosing the details of the post mortem "for operational reasons".
Earlier, Gardaí said they believed Mr Freyne received a punch during a violent assault, which led to his death.
Twenty gardaí are working on the investigation and national garda units are providing support to local officers.
It emerged the deceased had been arrested on intoxication and public order matters earlier on the day of the assault. He was subsequently released without charge prior to been assaulted.
Inspector Ronan McDonagh, Roxboro Road garda station, who is leading the probe, said gardaí do not believe a weapon was used.
No arrests have yet been made however Gardaí are believed to be following a definite line of enquiry.
The attack took place around 7.45pm, last Wednesday. Inspector McDonagh said Mr Freyne's injuries "may we'll have been caused by a punch".
"I'm aware that he fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement and there's an injury consistent with that, that we believe may have led to the death of Mr Freyne," he added.
The senior garda said a number of witnesses have told gardaí they saw a man in his 20s or 30s leaving the scene around the time of the assault.
He appealed for anyone with information to contact Gardaí at Roxboro Road at 061-214349 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800666111.
Inspector McDonagh said the investigation was in its infancy and that they "do not have a motive at this stage".
"We're keeping an open mind as to what may have been the cause of the dispute which led to the ultimate demise of Mr Freyne," Insp McDonagh said.
"My hope is that when this investigation is finished that there will be arrests made and hopefully the perpetrators brought to justice. I'm appealing to the city of Limerick to get us to that conclusion by coming forward."
He said gardaí were trawling through CCTV footage from several locations to trace the movements of a man seen leaving the scene around the time of the assault.
A member of the public found Mr Freyne and contacted ambulance control who then alerted gardaí.
Jason Freyne, a son of the deceased, was jailed earlier this year for five and a half years after he shot and injured a man in May 2015.
Freyne, (24), of no fixed abode, was wearing a bullet-proof vest and armed with a sawn-off shotgun and roaming Limerick on his bicycle, intent on shooting people, Limerick Circuit Court heard.
While appearing on other charges at Ennis District Court escaped from custody and went on the run for six days. He publicly taunted gardaí via his Facebook page but later appeared at the front gates of Limerick Prison effectively returning himself to custody.
