Gardai launch murder investigation after death of gangland criminal Gary ‘The Canary’ Carey

The notorious criminal, who was shot numerous times in the underground carpark of the Hilton Hotel in Kilmainham on June 24 last, died in St James’ Hospital at lunchtime on Friday.

Gardai from Kilmainham Station have now launched a murder investigation.

He was shot in the shoulder, arm, chest and leg by a gunman who had him under surveillance.

There has been no arrests so far in the case.

Carey has been involved in bitter drugs disputes with convicted killer Brian Rattigan who is now based in Spain as well as the west Dublin gang known as ‘The Family.’

The Sunday World previously revealed that associates of exiled gangster Rattigan were the chief suspects in the gun attack.

In a statement today, Gardai confirmed the murder investigation and issued a plea for witnesses to the shooting to come forward.

"A man aged in his 30s who was being treated in hospital for serious injures following a shooting incident in an underground carpark of a premises on the South Circular Road in Kilmainham, Dublin 8, on Friday, 24th June, 2022, has died.

He was pronounced dead in St James’s Hospital on Friday, 5th August, 2022.

The office of the State Pathologist and the local Coroner have been notified and a post-mortem examination has been arranged.”

The statement continued: “Investigating Gardaí have commenced a murder investigation and are renewing their appeal for witnesses to come forward.

They are particularly appealing to road users with camera footage (including dash-cam) from the South Circular Road in the Kilmainham area on the morning of Friday, 24th June, 2022, to make it available to them.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the incident room at Kilmainham Garda Station on 01 666 9700, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.”

Brian Rattigan link as man fights for life after being shot for third time in 15 months

Drug dealer Gary ‘The Canary’ Carey dies weeks after being shot in gangland attack

Carey, originally from nearby Islandbridge, may have been targeted after getting in a dispute over his drug trafficking distribution network in the capital.

He had been based in Spain for a number of months before returning home in the weeks before he was targeted.

It is understood that he was not wearing a bullet proof vest as he usually does after working out in the hotel’s gym and was chased around the carpark by at least one gunman.

Detectives believe that a silver Audi vehicle was used in the shooting and are investigating if the gunman was waiting in it in the underground carpark prior to the shooting.

This car was later found burnt out in Blessington, Co Wicklow.

Last November he was lucky to survive after being shot several times outside a house on Ballyfermot Crescent.

Carey was sitting in a car in the front drive of a house when a gunman fired nine bullets through the front windscreen.

The previous March, gardaí also received reports that he was shot at in Ballyfermot but escaped serious injury.

He only received graze injuries in that attack and drove himself to hospital. He did not make any complaint to gardaí, but detectives believe a criminal aged in his late 20s from Ballyfermot was involved in that attack.

Carey has been questioned a number of times by detectives in relation to seizures of drugs, firearms and cash.

Despite his multiple arrests as part of organised crime investigations, Carey has only served one significant prison sentence when he pleaded guilty to drug dealing at Dublin Circuit Court back in 2002 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

On another occasion, he was charged with assault but the charges were later dropped.