City’s Irish community ‘wary, but not afraid’

THE Irish community in Washington was in shock again yesterday after the Beltway Sniper struck for the 13th time.

Families in the Montgomery suburb have been taking children out of school after a bus driver was shot at a motorway layby.

Brian Gaffney, from Tralee, Co Kerry, manager of Nanny O’Brien’s pub in west DC, said that his daughter’s school was under “rain day collection”, where parents had to collect their children at the door of the school every day.

“It’s on your mind all the time,” Mr Gaffney said.

“Even when you’re filling up your car, you’re wary,” he said.

“You can’t get too scared, but I use the inside pump further away from the road.

“People feel helpless because there is just no pattern.”

Many in Montgomery believe that the sniper has deliberately returned to their area, which is the headquarters for the investigation and the scene of the initial shooting spree that left five people dead.

“I first thought that he was moving south and was going to shoot his way to Florida,” Mr Gaffney said.

“Now we know that he’s back,” he said.

“There’s just no way of predicting where he is going to go.”

Conor Malone, from Ennis, Co Clare, said that he filled gas for his girlfriend, who was nervous to approach filling stations in the area.

“I am wary, but I’m not afraid,” Mr Malone said.

“You have to carry on with your business,” he said.

“You can’t let it get you down.

“I would rather fill the gas myself because a lot of people are getting worried.”

Nanny O’Brien’s regular Bill Tibull said that five FBI agents had called to his door to question him.

“They asked me about my guns and I said I didn’t have any,” Mr Tibull said.

“I wasn’t surprised because everyone is on edge,” he said.