Stephen McKeag
| Stevie "Top Gun" McKeag | |
|---|---|
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| Birth name | Stephen McKeag |
| Born | 1 April 1970 Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK |
| Died | 24 September 2000 (aged 30) Belfast |
| Allegiance | Ulster Defence Association |
| Rank | Commander |
| Unit | C-Company, West Belfast Brigade |
| Conflict | The Troubles |
Stephen McKeag (1 April 1970 – 24 September 2000), nicknamed "Top Gun", was a Northern Irish loyalist and a Commander of the Ulster Defence Association's (UDA) 'C' Company in the 1990s. Although most of his operations took place from the Shankill Road in Belfast McKeag was actually a native of the lower Oldpark Road in the north of the city.
McKeag's first group affiliation was with the white power skinhead gangs that existed on the Shankill and which were co-opted into the UDA's youth wing Ulster Young Militants. McKeag then became a born-again Christian and married young to a woman named Alison. His interest in Christianity would diminish as he became more involved in the UDA, whilst his marriage also broke up. Along with Adair and other younger figures, McKeag helped to fill the power vacuum left in the UDA by the deaths of John McMichael and Jim Craig and the departures of Andy Tyrie and Tommy Lyttle.
McKeag became involved in 'C' Company of the lower Shankill - the most active unit of the UDA - around 1989, heading his own section of the company which was a hit squad (other sections concentrating on drug-dealing, money laundering and similar activities). According to Henry McDonald and Jim Cusack, the UDA gave an annual "Volunteer of the Year" award to the organisation's top hitman. The award, presented on the Shankill Road and usually consisting of a trophy in the form of a model gun and plaque made by loyalists prisoners, was dominated by McKeag from 1990 onwards and helped to ensure that he became known as "Top Gun" both to his UDA comrades and his republican opponents. In all, the RUC estimated that McKeag was responsible for at least 12 killings, although the figure was placed higher by a number of his former paramilitary associates.
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