GUNMAN IN HOSPITAL
GARDAI in Drogheda arrested a man who allegedly entered the Emergency Department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda (pictured right) on Saturday afternoon with a gun.
The man, who is in his early 30s, had presented at the Emergency Department for treatment at around 4pm.
Armed gardaí responded to the scene immediately after a nurse raised the alarm.
While the man was in triage at the deparment, nursing staff noticed what they believed to be a firearm on the man.
She brought the incident to the attention of a member of the gardaí who was there with another patient at the time.
A spokepserson for the gardaí confirmed a man in his early 30s had been arrested at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda on Saturday afternoon after he was found in possession of what appeared to be a handgun.
He was also found in possession of other contraband items, including what is believed to have been a round of ammunitiion.
‘One man was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act,’ a garda spokesperson added,
GARDAI in Drogheda arrested a man who allegedly entered the Emergency Department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda on Saturday afternoon with a gun.
The man, who is in his early 30s, had presented at the Emergency Department for treatment at around 4pm.
Armed gardaí responded to the scene immediately after a nurse raised the alarm.
While the man was in triage at the deparment, nursing staff noticed what they believed to be a firearm on the man.
She brought the incident to the attention of a member of the gardaí who was there with another patient at the time.
A spokepserson for the gardaí confirmed a man in his early 30s had been arrested at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda on Saturday afternoon after he was found in possession of what appeared to be a handgun.
He was also found in possession of other contraband items, including what is believed to have been a round of ammunitiion.
‘One man was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act following a search at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital on Saturday, November 11th a 4pm,’ said the spokesperson.
He said the man was detained at Drogheda Garda Station but was released without charge on Sunday afternoon pending a file to the DPP.
Speaking on Monday, SIPTU Divisional Organiser Paul Bell said the incident was dealt with quickly and efficiently by both staff in the hospital, gardaí and the armed response unit who attended the scene.
He said people in the waiting area of the Emergency Department were moved out of the area during the course of the incident but many people in the hospital were unaware of what happened until armed gardaí arrived on the scene.
‘Unfortunately, the Emergency Department is the entry point to the hospital and occasionally situations like this do occur,’ he said.
‘What was very positive about this situationw as the way it was handled. No other patient was involved and gardaí acted swiftly.’
He also praised the member of An Garda Siochana who was onsite at the time who handled the situation calmly and assessed the item in the man’s possession was a firearm before the Garda Armed Response Unit intervened.
‘Staff are very grateful that no incident took place in which anyone was injured but they are also appreciative of the manner in which gardaí and the staff involved handled the incident,’ he said.