TWO SEPARATE investigations are under way into a foiled armed robbery of almost €1 million during which one man, aged 28, was killed and one man, aged 26, was wounded by gardaí waiting at the scene.
Senior Garda officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation are leading the criminal investigation under Assistant Commissioner Derek Byrne.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of the two men. The commission’s investigators examined the robbery scene yesterday and are also examining three cars used by the gang.
A Garda spokesman said members of the force would co-operate fully with the GSOC inquiry.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has been briefed on the incident by Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy. Mr Ahern said that while any loss of life was regrettable, the Garda had the full support of the public in confronting armed gangs.
“Today’s incident is a reminder of the dangers faced by members of An Garda Síochána in carrying out their duties and their courage in confronting those dangers.”
One of the men shot was carrying a sawn-off shotgun, which he had discharged seconds before he was shot by gardaí. The men who were shot are from Dublin’s north inner city. Four others were under arrest last night. The gang tried to rob a G4S cash-in-transit van delivering money to an ATM in a Centra shop in Lucan, Co Dublin, at noon.