A murder investigation has been launched in Limerick following the death of an 18-year-old man who was savagely beaten in an attack last weekend.
Darren Coughlan, from Pineview Gardens, Moyross, died at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital early yesterday morning.
He suffered serious head injuries after he was viciously beaten by at least three youths who jumped out of a car on the Old Cratloe Road near the student accommodation complex of Limerick Institute of Technology on Friday night.
Gardaí yesterday were treating the incident as "an indiscriminate attack", and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
However, it is known that the victim was a relative of David Stanners, one of the men serving a life sentence for the feud-related murder of crime figure Kieran Keane.
Stanners was jailed for life along with four others for the murder of Keane and the attempted murder of his nephew, Owen Treacy, in 2003.
One of the theories being explored by gardaí is that Mr Coughlan may have been targeted after he crossed members of a gang involved in the ongoing feud with associates of the Keane killers.
The teenager had gathered with friends on the Old Cratloe Road last Friday night when at least three youths jumped out of a car and chased him a short distance before knocking him to the ground near an off-licence.
He was repeatedly beaten about the head in a frenzied attack as he lay helpless on the ground, but it is not yet known whether a weapon was used.
The seriously-injured teenager was taken to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, where he was placed on a life-support machine. He died in the early hours of yesterday.
Gardaí confirmed yesterday that the office of the State Pathologist had been contacted, and a postmortem was due to be carried out.
It is understood that gardaí have already taken statements from a number of the victim's friends who were in the area before the assault.
They have also issued an appeal for other witnesses.
"We are particularly anxious to speak to anyone in the area who witnessed this horrific attack, and we can guarantee that any information will be treated in the strictest confidence," said a Garda spokesman.
Gardaí are also examining footage from CCTV cameras in a nearby shopping complex and student accommodation block in a bid to identify the possible attackers.
They have appealed to anyone with information on the incident to contact Mayorstone Garda station at 061 456 980.
Mr Coughlan's death has led to the second murder investigation by gardaí in Limerick in the past 10 days.
They are also investigating the murder of David Nunan, whose body was found with gunshot wounds in a lane in the village of Parteen, Co Clare, on October 28th.