Off Duty Garda shoots man

RasTa · 23-08-2017 10:52am #1

What is he doing carrying a gun?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/investigation-launched-after-man-shot-in-the-shoulder-during-struggle-with-offduty-garda-36060612.html

Should be removed from force if so.

23-08-2017 10:54am

RasTa wrote: »

What is he doing carrying a gun? .............

Don't some members of the force carry guns when off duty?
Detectives etc are essentially never/rarely off duty to be fair.

ssshhh123 · 23-08-2017 10:56am

Would it be linked to hotel robbery? Near enough and 3 lads involved both incidents. Off duty but ah gaurd 24/7 really

seamus · 23-08-2017 10:58am

To be fair, it doesn't say the off-duty Garda was the one who was carrying the gun, just that a man was shot in the shoulder during a struggle.

Anyway, yes, plenty of units do carry weapons while off-duty in some circumstances. Not all units start or end their shift in a Garda Station, so will have a weapon on them while coming or going from their home.

Eidt: I think the man above is on the ball. Most likely a direct link to the hotel robbery, which occurred around 1am on Earlsfort Tce, then just around the corner at 2am there's a struggle and a guy is shot.

RasTa · 23-08-2017 10:59am

Maybe I'm wrong so but I thought firearms would be stored in the station.

Your Face · 23-08-2017 10:59am

Any excuse to attack the Gardai.

The OP doesn't have a clue what happened.

TallGlass · 23-08-2017 11:00am

The three lads are more than likely the reason certain Gardaí have to carry firearms off-duty.

ED E · 23-08-2017 11:01am

Why? Somewhere close to a third of em can carry a sidearm and a subset of them off duty.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 23-08-2017 11:01am

RasTa wrote: »

What is he doing carrying a gun?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/investigation-launched-after-man-shot-in-the-shoulder-during-struggle-with-offduty-garda-36060612.html

Should be removed from force if so.

Why? Gardai are Gardai 24hrs a day and have their powers of arrest etc etc regardless of they're on or uff duty. Maybe he was on his way to work or on his way home?

Did you not consider the glaring fact that he tackled 3 people obviously committing some offence and it must have been serious enough for him to draw his gun? But no, sack the garda for having a gun is your first reaction.

I'm going to assume that in your little square world you wouldn't accept medical attention from an off duty doctor or nurse in an emergency but would rather insist on an on-duty doctor/nurse attend to your or your family's medical needs in an emergency.

xpletiv · 23-08-2017 11:01am

Walked past it all this morning. A lot of it blocked off around there.

biko · 23-08-2017 11:01am

Could have been a detective, I think they carry guns.
Or maybe that is just in the movies.

Captain Obvious · 23-08-2017 11:02am

RasTa wrote: »

Maybe I'm wrong so but I thought firearms would be stored in the station.

Sure may as well remove him from the force anyway. Just to be safe like.

AudreyHepburn · 23-08-2017 11:03am

RasTa wrote: »

What is he doing carrying a gun?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/investigation-launched-after-man-shot-in-the-shoulder-during-struggle-with-offduty-garda-36060612.html

Should be removed from force if so.

Don't be ridiculous - you have no idea what happened here.

I would wager this man was not an innocent passer by and was himself armed in some way and threatened the Garda.

This lone Garda tackled three men - that kind of thing doesn't happen for no reason.

seamus · 23-08-2017 11:04am

RasTa wrote: »

Maybe I'm wrong so but I thought firearms would be stored in the station.

Some units, for example, will start their shift at 6am outside some godforsaken place in ballygobackwards that might be 100km from home. These units have their weapons at home to avoid having to go to a station to get them.

In general if you hear a Garda is "attached" to Garda HQ then it means he's a special unit and rarely sets foot in HQ at all.

um7y1h83ge06nx · 23-08-2017 11:05am

Has the OP considered that these lads might have deserved a bullet?

If a shot needed to be fire I don't mind whether he was on or off duty. In fact I'd be more impressed if he was off duty as he went above and beyond.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Gardai have issues and if I was Taoiseach I would have drop kicked O'Sullivan out the door by now.

In fairness too it appears he gave 2 or 3 warnings as well.

RasTa · 23-08-2017 11:07am

So why aren't all our Garda armed judging by the responses. I thought only the armed support unit are allowed firearms and didn't think they could take them home. So if over a 3rd have them. Maybe we should arm them all when out on patrol?

alchemist33 · 23-08-2017 11:08am

biko wrote: »

Could have been a detective, I think they carry guns.
Or maybe that just in the movies.

They used to, anyway. My uncle was a detective in the 70s and 80s and had a handgun in his house.

frozenfrozen · 23-08-2017 11:09am

RasTa wrote: »

So why aren't all our Garda armed judging by the responses. I thought only the armed support unit are allowed firearms and didn't think they could take them home. So if over a 3rd have them. Maybe we should arm them all when out on patrol?

not all of them are trained to drive either.

Chuchote · 23-08-2017 11:10am

We're living in the equivalent of America during Prohibition. Until drugs are decriminalised (not legalised, decriminalised, there's a difference), it's only going to get more violent and crime is only going to get more profitable, and police are going to get more distant from normal people.

BillyBobBS · 23-08-2017 11:10am

I'd be the first to be critical of the Gardai as the organisation is a joke shop at present but let's wait until the facts become clearer before stringing this lad up by the ankles shall we.

CitywestMan · 23-08-2017 11:10am

The Garda hating snowflakes are out in full force.

That patch right there is pretty dodgy at night with no lights - residents heard the Garda shout warnings a few times before a shot was fired.

In all fairness - with the legal system being a joke, this might have been the only instance this year where justice was delivered.

Scrotes have no fear of the law and seems like they jumped on the wrong one this time - wouldn't be surprised if this is connected to the robbery at the Conrad hotel nearby.

AudreyHepburn · 23-08-2017 11:11am

RasTa wrote: »

So why aren't all our Garda armed judging by the responses. I thought only the armed support unit are allowed firearms and didn't think they could take them home. So if over a 3rd have them. Maybe we should arm them all when out on patrol?

I wouldn't have a problem with that to be honest considering the type of criminal they have to deal with nowadays and especially with the Hutch Kinahan feud in full swing.

Every other major police force in the world is armed so why not ours?

23-08-2017 11:12am

RasTa wrote: »

So why aren't all our Garda armed judging by the responses. I thought only the armed support unit are allowed firearms and didn't think they could take them home. So if over a 3rd have them. Maybe we should arm them all when out on patrol?

You thought, eh?

You didn't take time to think, you saw an opportunity to bash and had to get a thread started before any one else did.

Spider Web · 23-08-2017 11:13am

CitywestMan wrote: »

The Garda hating snowflakes are out in full force.

No they're not - most people are defending the guard!

ChikiChiki · 23-08-2017 11:16am

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I wouldn't have a problem with that to be honest considering the type of criminal they have to deal with nowadays and especially with the Hutch Kinahan feud in full swing.

Every other major police force in the world is armed so why not ours?

There was a time i wouldn't have agreed with this but now I do. Armed police are bloody intimidating. Also there should be a requirement to be at peak physical fitness, something many Guards are lacking.

I dont think we'd have the same issues with cops as they do in the states with all the trigger happy army veterans. A well built cop with a gun is a frightening sight.

RasTa · 23-08-2017 11:17am

Deleted User wrote: »

You thought, eh?

You didn't take time to think, you saw an opportunity to bash and had to get a thread started before any one else did.

Did I? Ok then

RasTa · 23-08-2017 11:18am

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I wouldn't have a problem with that to be honest considering the type of criminal they have to deal with nowadays and especially with the Hutch Kinahan feud in full swing.

Every other major police force in the world is armed so why not ours?

The criminals might shoot back.

Chuchote · 23-08-2017 11:20am

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Every other major police force in the world is armed so why not ours?

Interesting piece

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2353-i-was-cop-in-country-with-no-guns-6-startling-truths.html

Also

The Garda Síochána will succeed, not by force of arms or numbers,
but by their moral authority as servants of the people."
Commissioner Michael Staines (1885-1955), First Commissioner of An Garda Síochána.

backspin. · 23-08-2017 11:21am

I'm going to try very very hard here to get worked up about a criminal getting shot - but i don't think i will succeed.

AudreyHepburn · 23-08-2017 11:22am

RasTa wrote: »

The criminals might shoot back.

They'll shoot whether the police are armed or not.

The Gardai should be allowed protection.

Chuchote · 23-08-2017 11:22am

backspin. wrote: »

I'm going to try very very hard here to get worked up about a criminal getting shot - but i don't think i will succeed.

Guilty till proved innocent, eh?

El Tarangu · 23-08-2017 11:23am

Well done to that Garda - in an altercation with three people, he managed to keep his head and aim for their shoulder.

Riesen_Meal · 23-08-2017 11:23am

alchemist33 wrote: »

They used to, anyway. My uncle was a detective in the 70s and 80s and had a handgun in his house.

My uncle was a detective also and used to carry back in the day also, there isn't many that do but I think he had to...

Nowadays we can see clearly in the side of the new fangled squad cars have "firearm unit" written on them

In some ways I think they all should have guns but then you see some of the stuff in America where they shoot mentally ill people or black people for little or nothing - that would put me off the majority of Gardai having them here...

We've already had a case of nutty guards going after their ex girlfriends partners and harassing them when they hear they are with new people so of course not all cops can be trusted either - they are people at the end of the day and people have flaws...

backspin. · 23-08-2017 11:24am

Chuchote wrote: »

Guilty till proved innocent, eh?

I doubt he was carrying his shopping home.

AudreyHepburn · 23-08-2017 11:24am

Chuchote wrote: »

Guilty till proved innocent, eh?

Well he didn't take them on for no reason did he?

seamus · 23-08-2017 11:27am

RasTa wrote: »

So why aren't all our Garda armed judging by the responses. I thought only the armed support unit are allowed firearms and didn't think they could take them home. So if over a 3rd have them. Maybe we should arm them all when out on patrol?

Bit of a leap in logic, no?

"I wasn't aware that some Gardai bring their weapons home, so logically we should arm all Gardai"

I don't believe that all Gardai should be armed, but I understand and support the reasons behind some Gardai having weapons off-duty & at home.

Gazzmonkey · 23-08-2017 11:30am

RasTa wrote: »

Maybe I'm wrong so but I thought firearms would be stored in the station.

Me & you are allowed to have guns in a gun safe... why not a guard?

begbysback · 23-08-2017 11:42am

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Well he didn't take them on for no reason did he?

That's the thing about guns - shoot first and ask questions later.

One could argue that it's more likely to be shot as an innocent bystander by a guard if all are armed, than being shot by a gang member as part of a fued.

Kimbot · 23-08-2017 11:46am

RasTa wrote: »

Maybe we should arm them all when out on patrol?

Eh no thanks, we still have a few nutter on the force and giving them a gun wouldn't help out too much. I shudder to think if this guy had a gun on him that day.

seamus · 23-08-2017 11:48am

jonnycivic wrote: »

I shudder to think if this guy had a gun on him that day.

If he had a gun on him that day, he wouldn't have been posted to riot duty.

Duh.

Guy:Incognito · 23-08-2017 11:49am

Chuchote wrote: »

Interesting piece

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2353-i-was-cop-in-country-with-no-guns-6-startling-truths.html

Also

Thank God the country is exactly the same as it was when that quote was taken. ............

Kimbot · 23-08-2017 11:49am

seamus wrote: »

If he had a gun on him that day, he wouldn't have been posted to riot duty.

Duh.

Well if all guards had guns given to them then why would he have been posted on another duty? Surely he would be doing the same job.

dr.fuzzenstein · 23-08-2017 11:52am

RasTa wrote: »

The criminals might shoot back.

So send unarmed police to deal with armed gangsters. Oirish.

Syphonax · 23-08-2017 11:53am

If the guard was off-duty he shouldnt be carrying a gun and has no recourse to use it in force. Being off-duty means he is just a normal citizen and not a guard. Armed response units are specifically called to deal with armed crime and do not roam the streets like cops in America. He should have contacted on duty guards to deal with the crime and not involved himself. He should be should be thrown off the force for malpractice and even criminal charges should be brought against him.

dr.fuzzenstein · 23-08-2017 11:55am

Syphonax wrote: »

If the guard was off-duty he shouldnt be carrying a gun and has no recourse to use it in force. Being off-duty means he is just a normal citizen and not a guard. Armed response units are specifically called to deal with armed crime and do not roam the streets like cops in America. He should have contacted on duty guards to deal with the crime and not involved himself. He should be should be thrown off the force for malpractice and even criminal charges should be brought against him.

Bollocks.

Allinall · 23-08-2017 11:55am

Syphonax wrote: »

If the guard was off-duty he shouldnt be carrying a gun and has no recourse to use it in force. Being off-duty means he is just a normal citizen and not a guard. Armed response units are specifically called to deal with armed crime and do not roam the streets like cops in America. He should have contacted on duty guards to deal with the crime and not involved himself. He should be should be thrown off the force for malpractice and even criminal charges should be brought against him.

100% factually incorrect.

Captain Obvious · 23-08-2017 11:56am

Syphonax wrote: »

If the guard was off-duty he shouldnt be carrying a gun and has no recourse to use it in force. Being off-duty means he is just a normal citizen and not a guard.

What are you basing this on?

Tell me how · 23-08-2017 11:56am

Syphonax wrote:

If the guard was off-duty he shouldnt be carrying a gun and has no recourse to use it in force. Being off-duty means he is just a normal citizen and not a guard. Armed response units are specifically called to deal with armed crime and do not roam the streets like cops in America. He should have contacted on duty guards to deal with the crime and not involved himself. He should be should be thrown off the force for malpractice and even criminal charges should be brought against him.

Oh f*ck off with this nonsense.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 23-08-2017 11:56am

Chuchote wrote: »

The Garda Síochána will succeed, not by force of arms or numbers,
but by their moral authority as servants of the people."
Commissioner Michael Staines (1885-1955), First Commissioner of An Garda Síochána.

Times have changed, drastically, since that quote.

Syphonax · 23-08-2017 11:56am

Allinall wrote: »

100% factually incorrect.

just like your post, 100% without substance.

MarcusP12 · 23-08-2017 11:57am

Says a lot about the mindset of some people and the respect they have for the gardai that, in the absence of the full fact of the situation, the assumption is that he should lose his job for carrying a gun and having to use it. I'd prefer to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until its proven otherwise that he acted inappropriately. At the end of the day, he didn't <have> to get involved but obviously felt duty bound to do what he did for whatever reason at the time. I'd say there's plenty of people here who wouldn't stay on at work one minute beyond their official finish time let alone put their life in danger like this gard did when off duty, whatever the reason was.

As has been said already, we all know that there are problems within the garda force but the vast majority of gardai are decent people trying to do their job (which involves protecting us from the scum of society lest we forget) and they should have our respect on an individual basis, regardless of what you think of the higher management. There are bad apples in every profession.

Off Duty Garda shoots man

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