A man who was shot by his best friend in a gangland attack two years ago has died in hospital, the Sunday Tribune has learned.

Ian Kenny, a 22-year-old father of two, was in a coma for two years before dying in St Vincent's hospital last Friday afternoon.

Kenny was shot in the head by Jonathan Dunne on 4 July 2007 at a shopping centre in Stillorgan, south Dublin. The shooting took place on the orders of gangland criminal 'Fat' Freddie Thompson, who agreed to have Kenny killed as a favour to one of his associates.

Dunne had no previous convictions and was not known to gardaí. He carried out the shooting because he owed Thompson a favour after losing £50,000 worth of Thompson's drugs seven years previously.

Dunne (24) was jailed for 12 years for the attempted murder, which the Dunne family branded a "disgrace".

On the day of the murder Dunne took Kenny on a drive. He parked at the shopping centre, went to the boot and took out a sawn-off shotgun. He walked to the window of his own car and fired two shots at point-blank range.

He threw Kenny from the car and drove to a nearby wooded area where he made an unsuccessful attempt to burn the car.

He then panicked and began running up the Lakelands Road where he was observed by a passing patrol car. He was covered in Ian Kenny's blood and brain matter and immediately admitted he was responsible for the attempted murder.

In court Dunne described the incident as "the most horrible moment of my life".

"If I could take it back I would. I am sorry for what was done. Ian was my friend. I was told to put two shots in his head but hadn't got the bottle. I am not a killer."

Because Jonathan Dunne has already been convicted of Kenny's attempted murder he cannot be re-charged with his killing. Under the law a person cannot be charged with murder if their victim dies more than one year and one day after the initial attack.

Kenny had been involved in an ongoing row with the associate of Freddie Thompson. His family home on Mon­aster­boice Road in Crumlin was targeted by a gunman on 27 September 2006. Shots were fired from a car but nobody was injured. Later that day garda sergeant Mark Clarke and two of his colleagues were preserving the scene when a car sped by and shot at the officers.

Clarke was struck by 11 shotgun pellets in the chest and arm and was seriously injured. Two men have been convicted for their part in that incident.