Omeath shooting: Garda Anthony Golden's colleagues faced 'traumatic' scene

Garda Anthony Golden, a father of three, was one of two men who died in the shooting

Colleagues of a policeman shot dead by a gunman who then turned the gun on himself faced a "traumatic" scene, the head of the Irish police has said.

The officer, Anthony Golden, was shot in Omeath, County Louth, on Sunday as he responded to a domestic complaint.

A woman also sustained gunshot wounds in the incident and is in a critical condition.

Garda Commissioner Noirín O'Sullivan said the triple shooting was a "sad and tragic day" for the police force.

The incident began on Sunday evening when a woman called to Omeath Garda station to make a written statement of complaint about a domestic incident.

'Unthinkable loss'

Afterwards, Garda Golden accompanied the woman and her father to a house in Mullach Alainn, Omeath.

Her father remained outside while the woman and the police officer entered the house.

Shortly afterwards, at about 18:00 local time, gunshots were heard inside the house and the woman's father immediately raised the alarm.

Garda Golden was shot at a house in Mullach Alainn, Omeath, as he responded to a complaint of domestic abuse

Police and ambulance staff responded to a 999 call and Garda Golden was found in the house with a number of gunshot wounds that proved to be fatal.

The gunman, 24-year-old Adrian Crevan Mackin from the Newry area, also sustained a fatal gunshot wound. Mr Mackin was facing charges of membership of a dissident republican organisation and was out on bail.

The Garda commissioner described it as a "very traumatic incident" and expressed sympathy to the family of the 36-year-old police officer, who was a father of three.

She said Garda Golden was "very highly respected" community police officer who "served that community with dignity, with pride and distinction".

She said he was also a "very proud family man" and that for his widow, Nicola, the "loss is unthinkable".

Ms O'Sullivan paid tribute to the "professionalism" of Garda Golden's colleagues saying they had put aside "their own personal emotions" as they responded to the triple shooting.

"When a colleague is lost in such tragic circumstances, they have to park that emotion, the trauma," Ms O'Sullivan said.

"I'm very conscious of the [Garda] members that visited the scene last night - the assistance that they rendered to their colleague and indeed to Mr Mackin and to the other injured party in the case.

Omeath priest Fr Christy McElwee said the scene he saw when he arrived to give the last rites was "very horrific"

"I'd also like to pay tribute to the National Ambulance Service and indeed the Ambulance Service of Northern Ireland who were there."

A priest who gave the murdered officer the last rites spoke of the "horrific" scene in the house where the shootings took place.

Omeath priest Fr Christy McElwee, originally from Magherafelt, said he was shocked by what he saw.

"The scene that I saw was very horrific. You would need to be a strong person not to be taken back by it or shocked by it," he said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are very much with the Garda that lost his life. We're thinking of him and praying for his family at this time."

It also emerged on Monday that emergency services on both sides of the border were involved in the immediate aftermath of the shootings.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service sent a rapid response paramedic, followed by two ambulance crews and a doctor.

'Sense of loss'

The emergency services were called on Sunday evening after gunshots were heard inside the house

Garda Commissioner O'Sullivan also revealed that some of the officers who responded to the 999 call were also the first at the scene of a fatal shooting of another County Louth police officer less than three years ago.

Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was killed during a robbery at Lordship Credit Union in January 2013.

"This is the second member of An Garda Síochána [Irish police] that this community has lost in a very short space of time and that certainly has an impact," Ms O'Sullivan said.

"Talking to some people here in the community today, I understand and I can empathise with the numbness, the shock and the sense of loss that they feel."

'Brothers in arms'

The Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents rank and file police officers, said a "darkness has descended" over the entire force.

"He was a brother in the sense that we are all brothers in arms," GRA president Dermot O'Brien said.

"There's a bond and it's a bond to serve and protect as we are guardians of the peace."

Mr O'Brien said the shooting had raised issues regarding manpower, resources and protocols that would have to be addressed with the government.

He said the officer's colleagues needed time to grieve, but the matters would be put to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald within days.

Earlier, the minister said that the police officer's death would be "mourned by the entire nation".

"The fact that [he] has laid down his life while protecting the community is a cause of great sadness," she said.

"While no words at this time can be expected to console his wife and children, his family, his colleagues and all who loved him, they know that he gave his life protecting the community he was so proud to serve."

Garda Golden's death brings the number of members of An Garda Síochána [Irish police force] who have lost their lives in the line of duty to 88.