Garda used bullet-proof jacket to shield children

A hero garda risked his life to save three children by taking off his bullet-proof jacket and using it to shield them from a man who had shot at himself and his colleagues.

Garda John O’Neill, stationed in Bandon, Co Cork used his protective jacket to assist the children as regular gardaí are not equipped with bullet-proof shields.

The selfless actions were recounted at the GRA conference yesterday by Det Padraig Harrington to highlight the lack of proper equipment for frontline gardaí.