Man arrested over hit and run incident that killed UL student journalist (21) – The Irish Times

Gardaí have arrested a person following their seek for a hit-and-run driver who left the scene of crash final month that claimed the claimed the lifetime of 21-year pupil journalist Joe Drennan in Limerick Metropolis.

The suspect, who’s in his late teenagers, was arrested on Sunday and was being detained at a Limerick Metropolis Garda station below Part 42 of the Legal Justice Act, 1999.

Mr Drennan was standing at bus cease on Dublin Street, Castletroy, at about 9.50pm on Friday, October thirteenth, when he was hit by a driver and killed. The driving force who hit him additionally crashed into one other automotive, injuring the male driver, in his 40s, and his girl passenger.

Nonetheless, whereas the 2 individuals within the different automobile had been taken from the crash scene to hospital, that they had not suffered life-threatening accidents. Within the 4 weeks for the reason that crash, the investigation into it has continued as gardaí sought to establish after which find the motive force who fled the scene.

The driving force had additionally come to the eye of gardaí simply earlier than the deadly crash and, due to that, the case was referred by the Garda to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Fee (Gsoc). In any case the place an individual has had any interactions with the Garda, earlier than an incident involving loss or life or severe damage, the matter have to be referred tor Gsoc.

Nonetheless, such a referral doesn’t disbar the Garda persevering with a legal investigation into the core incident, that means the inquiry into the killing of Mr Drennan has continued in current weeks.

There was shock on the dying of Mr Drennan, who was shortlisted for Journalist of the 12 months on the annual nationwide Scholar Media Awards. On the night time he was killed he was ready for a bus after he had completed a shift at an area restaurant.

Mr Drennan, Mountrath, Co Laois, was described as “an inspirational pupil and a vastly proficient younger journalist, who had a shiny profession forward” by Dr Kathryn Hayes, course director of the BA Journalism and Digital Communication course at College of Limerick.

“We’re completely devastated within the journalism division and within the wider UL group to study of the tragic dying of our pupil Joe Drennan,” she mentioned on the time. “Our heartfelt sympathies are with Joe’s household at this horrible time and all of his classmates and plenty of pricey mates.”