Garda injured in ‘deplorable’ gun attack

THREE gardaí narrowly missed being shot after bullets were fired at a Dublin house in an attack described as “deplorable” by the Garda Commissioner.

The shooting took place in the Greenfort Close estate in Clondalkin at 1.15am yesterday, when gardaí, responding to a call at a house, were forced to take cover when a man discharged a handgun into the house.

One of them, understood to be a sergeant, received injuries to his hands and body from flying glass after five shots were fired into the hallway where the gardaí were standing talking to the resident of the house.

The officers were forced to take cover, although gardaí believe the members were not specifically targeted. One line of inquiry is that an empty house next door was the intended target, with the gunman firing at the other house by mistake before running away.

Gardaí had been responding to an earlier call alleging a firebomb had been thrown at a house in the estate.

It is believed a neighbourhood feud is behind that alleged incident and the firing of the shots.

Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the attack put the lives of gardaí and members of the public at risk. “I have directed that the local gardaí in Ronanstown who are investigating the incident receive whatever assistance and support they require from national units in order to bring those responsible to justice,” he said.

Senator Therese Ridge of Fine Gael said: “Gun crime just seems to be escalating – I hope they are caught as quickly as possible.”

The shooting happened at around the same time early yesterday morning as two gardaí were injured, one seriously, in a road crash in Co Donegal involving a suspected drunk-driver.