Street shootout

ONE man is dead and another seriously injured after gardaí from the organised crime unit smashed an attempted raid on a cash-in-transit van by armed criminals linked to suspects in the €7.6 million raid on the Bank of Ireland in March.

Just after noon, specialist officers who were lying in wait as part of an ongoing operation witnessed five individuals in their 20s leave a high-powered 4x4 and approach the G4S cash van which was delivering a large quantity of money for the Centra shopping store’s ATM on the Foxborough Road in Lucan, Co Dublin.

After the drivers were ordered to hand over at least two money boxes by the gang, one of whom was carrying a sawn-off shotgun, gardaí drew their weapons and ordered them to stand down.

In the ensuing gunfight, one member of the gang – unofficially named as 27-year-old Gareth Molloy from Lower Sheriff Street in Dublin’s inner city – pointed the weapon at officers carrying pistols and Uzi machine guns who then opened fire.

Molloy was shot in the chest and arm, while a second member of the gang was also wounded during the incident. Molloy was sentenced to six years for firearms offences in 2003, but had four-and-a-half years suspended on condition he attended drug rehabilitation, and in 2004 was given a five-year suspended sentence for traffic offences.

As the three other assailants fled the scene, the two severely injured gang members were taken by ambulance to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, accompanied by armed gardaí and paramedics.

Molloy is understood to have gone into cardiac arrest when they reached the hospital’s emergency department, and while medics were able to resuscitate him, he died just after 1pm.

The second injured man, who described himself as a 24-year-old from Sheriff Street, is continuing to be treated at the hospital but is understood to be refusing to co-operate with gardaí or provide a full name.

Gardaí later arrested three men in the Neilstown area of Dublin after they were stopped in what is believed to have been a second getaway vehicle which had been stolen.

One of these men is closely related to a well-known armed robber from Dublin’s north inner city who is a suspect in the €7.6m raid on the Bank of Ireland in College Green Dublin in March.

A fourth man has also been arrested by gardaí, while a number of weapons have been recovered.

All four are being held in the Lucan and Ronanstown Garda stations under section 30 of the Offences against the State Act, 1939, where they can be held for up to 72 hours.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has begun an investigation into the shooting and conducted a forensic examination of the scene.

Reacting to the incident, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said that he had no doubt the gardaí had the full support of the community in taking whatever action was necessary when they are confronted by armed gangs.

“Today’s incident is a reminder of the dangers faced by members of An Garda Síochána in carrying out their duties and their courage in confronting those dangers,” said Mr Ahern.