Pellet gun 'incident' on the M50

Rovi

Looks like a lorry driver on the M50 got shot with a pellet gun this morning :mad:

From the RTE website:

Lorry driver hurt in pellet gun shooting

23 March 2005 08:13

A lorry driver has been taken to hospital in Dublin after he was injured by what is believed to have been a shot from a pellet gun.

The incident happened while the man was driving northbound on the M50 motorway between the Ballymount exit and the Red Cow exit at around 2am this morning.

He has been taken to Tallaght Hospital suffering from neck injuries.

Northbound traffic was restricted while gardaí carried out a technical examination but both lanes of the M50 northbound have been reopened.

Wonder if there'll be any legislative fallout as a result of this???

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Peace

if it wasn't a gun it could have been a rock. Can they legislate against rocks?

I'm not pro gun or anything. Just sayin'.

civdef

I strongly doubt there will be legislative fallout as a result of this. Simple fact is that airguns are extremely tightly regulated here. They fall into the same category as proper rifles, with all the attendant hassle in getting them licenced. It's not like the UK where they're available over the counter.

I have very little doubt this was an illegally held airgun.

Rovi

civdef wrote:

I have very little doubt this was an illegally held airgun.

My thoughts exactly, civdef, I was just airing my concern that there might be a 'kneejerk reaction' to the incident.

On thinking about it a bit, it was either a complete fluke or a spectacularly good shot.
The report states "the man was driving northbound on the M50 motorway between the Ballymount exit and the Red Cow exit" which would seem to indicate that the lorry was moving at the time.
Assuming that the shooter wasn't actually standing at the side of the motorway ( :eek: ), we're looking at a fair distance to 'cover' off to the side.
I don't know that bit of road well enough to be certain, but could we be looking at 10-20 metres or more? Is there a footbridge on that stretch?
If that was a 'deliberately aimed' shot, we need to get this shooter on the Irish team for the next Olympics

Is there a history of this sort of thing in that area?
'Leading' a moving vehicle (40-50mph? more?) well enough to put an airgun pellet through an open side window from 20 metres or more looks to me like a feat that would require considerable practice.
Are there plenty of vehicles that regularly use that road going around with pellet damage to the paintwork and this unfortunate lorry driver was simply unlucky to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time with his window open???


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Dvs

Hello All,
I heard this on the way to work this morning and got the usual feeling of dread, as to what the the reaction to this incident would be..

Do other legitimate members of the shooting community often feel this when these incidents occur ?

Though why we should is a mystery,but I suppose the concern of being tarred with the same brush is the reason, however unjustified that is.

If a joyrider crashes a stolen car into someone and injures them, other car owners and drivers are not condemed to a collective responsibility for the joyriders actions he alone is liable for prosecution and what ever sanction the court decides.

I hope the Garda are able to find the moron responsible and prosecute them as a deterrent to other gob****es.

Regards,
Dvs.

Barry Aldwell

Rovi wrote:

'Leading' a moving vehicle (40-50mph? more?) well enough to put an airgun pellet through an open side window from 20 metres or more looks to me like a feat that would require considerable practice.

Or a fully automatic pellet gun

Rovi

Hmmmmmmm..........................................

Just heard on the radio (Vincent Browne - RTE 1) that the shooter was on the grass margin, and the lorry's 'windscreen was shattered' :eek:

What sort of pellet gun could do that???

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Terrier

Did anyone else see the truck on RTE News last night, dead centre hit in front of the driver, the hole was about half an inch wide with cracks out to 4 inch from the centre. :eek: From someone who has tested many calibres on a lot of glass (3mm to 3inch Bullet Proof for a glass companys research not what ye are all thinking) I can tell you a .22LR round through 8mm laminated glass would not make a hole half the size!

Now if someone is saying that a pellet gun can go through a laminated truck window and manage to hit the driver in the neck... please let me know where I can get one!!

Terrier

This is more like it, it is now a high powered Rifle!!

Irish Independent

A MAJOR Garda manhunt was under way last night for a gunman who randomly shot a lorry driver on Dublin's M50 motorway and came within inches of killing him.

The sniper, who is thought to have hidden along an embankment or in a shrubbery adjacent to the busy two-lane road between Ballymount and the Red Cow, struck in darkness early yesterday morning.

According to sources close to the investigation the gunman fired a single round from a high powered rifle.

Although the calibre of the bullet was not being revealed by Gardai it is reliably learned it was higher than a .22.

Early today the victim, Paddy Roche, a married man in his 50s from Ballymoney, Kilbride, Co Wicklow, was in a stable condition in Tallaght Hospital where he was rushed after the shooting.

Despite his wound he successfully brought his truck to a halt and was assisted by a passing motorist.

Some reports yesterday indicated the blast might have been from a shotgun but a Garda source said last night: "It was a bullet. Mr Roche is a very lucky man - it came within a fraction of an inch of killing him."

Throughout yesterday detectives and uniformed gardai scoured the area, particularly ground between Kingswood Castle and Western Parkway, where they think the shot may have been fired from.

Last night they were also carrying out door-to-door inquires in the area.

Mr Roche's wife, Frances, first heard of the shooting when he rang her from the hospital. In an attempt not to worry his family and eight grandchildren he said he had fallen.

"All he said was he got a few stitches in his chin," said Frances.

"I was shocked when I heard what happened from another lorry driver. He's been going to the North all his life and nothing like this has ever happened. He was driving along and the shot hit the window. Anything could have happened."

Mr Roche who was on an early morning delivery to Donegal, works for Veha (Quinn) Radiators and was driving a lorry leased from Devlin Transport.

A spokesman for Devlin Transport said yesterday: "This is desperate. Apparently this sort of thing has happened before. The city has gone mad."

A senior Garda source said: "This was a very serious incident and the unfortunate driver could easily have been killed had he lost control of his vehicle after the shooting.

"There has been a serious increase in vehicles being targeted on the M50 in recent weeks. Rocks and other debris have been thrown from the bridge at Tallaght and have struck cars and caused damage."

There was traffic chaos on the M50 following the shooting as gardai sealed off the area for a technical examination.

The northbound lane between Ballymount and the Red Cow was down to one lane for much of the early morning with large tailbacks as a result.

Rovi

Terrier wrote:

This is more like it, it is now a high powered Rifle!!

Makes much more sense from the point of view of the physics of the incident, and thank *Deity of your choice* that the lorry driver wasn't seriously injured, but I'm now even more concerned about the political fallout

I think we can reasonable presume that a licenced firearm wasn't used, and with a bit of luck it wasn't a stolen legally held one either.

Let's hope they catch the scumbag involved and throw the book (and the bookcase, and the library (one brick at a time)) at him :mad:

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fiacha

i just hope that it is an isolated incident. the idea of a "sniper" taking pot shots at the public is very worrying.

Terrier

Well I reckon this is about to start getting more coverage
M50 Sniper :eek:

chem

Just after watching the TV3 NEWS. They had an expert interviewed who said that the round was most likely 5.56 or 7.62. A mil round. He then went on to state that the country was "awash" with rifles in these cals, that have been taken in with drug shippments.

This is going to get worse before it gets better. Thank God the man was not killed.

Just wondering if anyone knows if there is an Army range anywhere in that area? just in the hope that it was a freak accident from the range and that there is not some wana be sniper out there.

Chipboard

chem wrote:

Just wondering if anyone knows if there is an Army range anywhere in that area? just in the hope that it was a freak accident from the range and that there is not some wana be sniper out there.

I'm fairly sure there's no range in the area. Its too built up to locate a range there. I still think it will turn out to be from nothing bigger than a .22. You see that kind of madness in the US but its frightening to think that there is someone that stupid roaming around Dublin. I think it is unlikely that having done something that wild, he was able to keep his mouth shut about it, and maybe with a bit of luck, one of his fellow scumbags will give him up to the cops some night when he's hauled in for stealing a car.

Longslide45

[Just after watching the TV3 NEWS. They had an expert interviewed who said that the round was most likely 5.56 or 7.62. A mil round. He then went on to state that the country was "awash" with rifles in these cals, that have been taken in with drug shippments.

Hmm,I think I know this "expert",if he is the one I think he is a regular commentator and is rated by those in the know as a BS artist!!In other words dont belive all the "experts",on the TV.As the old saying goes if it leads it bleeds.Anything gun related here will be blown up and out of proportion.
So maybe some hype is being sold here.
If he was that smart,he would know a book on gurellia warfare written by a Swiss army major,Von Dach, called Total Resistance.In it there is a section on disabling trucks and cars with an air rifle!!Doing exactly what our gurrier friend did.
I wouldnt call a moron with an air rifle a sniper.That title is gained with patience ,dedication and disipline.
A 5.56 or 7.62 would have made a big hole in the back of the cab as well.Or at least be stuck in the cab upholstery.
It could also be done by a ball bearing from a high power slingshot.And from the pic this was almost a full on shot.

Dont panic yet ,I doubt we have a "DC sniper" out there.But if we have more irresponsible media coverage and hype we could have more incidents as this could egg the dopey twat on to do more mayhem.

Clash

First up; anything from the Indo is automatically false and exaggerated. How many times have we seen incidents reported therein as 'fact' to be later proven to be rubbish. Remember the man 'shot at with high powered rifle' that later turned out to be 'bludgeoned with stock of shotgun'

According to what I've heard and all subsequent reports say, it was a pellet gun. Presumably that means the Gardaí found the pellet. The driver wasn't hit by the pellet but was cut by flying glass from the windscreen. It's quite possible for an airgun pellet to go through laminated glass, especially if said laminated glass is travelling towards you at 70mph.

Traumadoc

Clash wrote:

First up; anything from the Indo is automatically false and exaggerated. How many times have we seen incidents reported therein as 'fact' to be later proven to be rubbish. Remember the man 'shot at with high powered rifle' that later turned out to be 'bludgeoned with stock of shotgun'
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I have to agree with you - many years ago a Dublin city counciller claimed to have been shot at in his office-he described in detail how he was forced to div to he floor as he was shot at through the window -it turned out to be a gurrier armed with a catapult and some marbles.

Longslide45

Todays Indo still claims that it was a bullet bigger than a 22lr ,and that detectives are now off to interview all liscensed 22lr and above calibre rifle holders in the Tallaght and Clondalkin areas.
[Can we say clutching at straws,lets be seen to be "doing somthing?"]

Why does this sound like the Blasket island seal massacare? Go bother the ligitmate shooters ,when it is patently obvious that this is an illegal firearm used in both cases,or somone from outside the locality?[Whatever became of the Blasket island incident anyway?Did the "forensically tested "shotguns of the citizens of Dingle reveal the seal killer? Ever wonder why there is never followup to these stories?Would really love to know!

Barry Aldwell

Longslide45 wrote:

Ever wonder why there is never followup to these stories?Would really love to know!

Shock news stories about someone being deported in their school uniform, or evil nutjobs going on gun rampages pull in much better ratings than "Whoops, we got it wrong, sorry" stories

Longslide45

Hmm.Guess thats why I quit wanting to be a journalist.Couldnt live with not being able to tell the truth as itactually is.