Garda appeal after shots fired into property with woman and two children in Limerick

David Raleigh

Gardaí appealed for witnesses and or information leading to the arrest of those involved in a gun attack in which shots were fired into a property in Limerick that was occupied by a woman and two children at the time.

Shots were fired through a window of the property at a halting site off Childers Road, Limerick, at 2am Tuesday.

No injuries were reported.

Armed Gardaí responded at the scene and a Garda forensic search also took place of inside and outside the entrance to the site.

Gardaí also requested the assistance of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit attached to the Defence Forces.

The EOD unit travelled from its base in Cork to the scene and was later given a Garda escort from the scene to another location.

A Defence Forces spokesman said it was not commenting “due to operational security reasons”.

A video of a large garda presence at the site, as well as garda tape cordoning off an area at the site, was shared on social media.

Appealing for information, Sergeant Natasha Walsh, Henry Street Garda Station, said: “Gardaí are investigating a serious incident involving a firearm which occurred on the Childers Road in the early hours of Tuesday morning.”

“If any members of the public were in the vicinity of the Childers Road shopping centre between midnight and 2am and noticed anything suspicious we are asking them to come forward.”

“Also, if you were passing the area during those times we would ask you to check your dash-cam footage, and contact Henry Street Garda Station on 061-212400,” added Sgt Walsh.

It’s understood Gardaí were investigating a potential link to another shooting at the same location three weeks ago, on September 3 last.

On that date a gunman discharged at least one shot in the 4pm gun attack.

Dashcam footage from a passing motorist, which was later shared on social media, showed a man dodging traffic on foot along Childers Road as he was pursued by a number of other males who appeared to be carrying weapons.

A recent surge of violent incidents in Limerick have threatened to drag the city back to levels of feuding that left around men murdered between the early to mid-2000s.

Gardaí remain actively braced for the next attack, although Garda management continue to remain tight-lipped about their operations in which they are targeting those behind the violence.

Garda overtime for armed patrols was recently approved to allow armed garda units to monitor flashpoint areas, due to a rise in drive-by shootings, firebombings, pipebomb attacks, and attacks on homes and vehicles.

The parties involved in the tit-for-tat violence were video recording the attacks on mobile phone and sharing the offending on social media.

One recent video earlier this month showed an unidentified man preparing and firing what appeared to be a semi-automatic firearm in a field.

Garda sources said the type of firearms used by those involved in the violence are extremely dangerous.

An explosive ordnance disposal unit attached to the Defence Forces has made several recent trips to different parts of Limerick this year, from its base in Cork, to deal with several pipe bombs.