68-year-old dad ‘shot dead in dumping row’

Gardaí get warrant to arrest armed suspect in house

AN AGRICULTURAL contractor was shot dead in rural Cork in a row over alleged illegal dumping of waste, gardaí believe.

The victim, named locally as Derry Coakley, 68, was shot dead at a farm outside Macroom, Co. Cork, at 11.30pm on Tuesday.

The suspected gunman, a farmer aged 66, was last night being quizzed by detectives.

Senior sources say that Mr Coakley drove a tractor at the suspect’s farm, about 4km south west of Macroom, shortly after 11pm.

He was allegedly trying to offload into a landfill however, the farmer ‘rushed outside to confront him’.

A row broke out between the two men, which resulted in the farmer allegedly shooting Mr Coakley in the torso.

The victim was able to telephone a friend and when he arrived at the scene, he found Mr Coakley seriously injured and rang 999.

It is understood the victim died at the scene and gardaí requested the services of the State Pathologist’s office.

The suspect reportedly returned to his farmhouse after the shooting. His wife, who was inside the house, did not witness the incident.

The Garda’s armed Regional Support Unit were in situ by the early hours of yesterday to assist local officers as the suspect had retreated with a firearm. While no threats were issued, gardaí have protocols about approaching suspects known to be armed.

Additionally, officers had to obtain a warrant from a judge in order to arrest the suspect.

The farmer was taken into custody at 10.30am yesterday. Gardaí also requested the services of the Garda Technical Bureau from Dublin and the victim’s body remained at the farmhouse until late yesterday afternoon while the scene remained sealed off.

A post mortem is due to get under way this morning at Cork University Hospital.

A senior source said: ‘There was a majorly heated row at the farm when the victim arrived to try and dump waste without permission. The farmer ran out to confront him and things escalated. There was a scuffle and the victim was shot in the torso.’

Mr Coakley was a separated father of one who worked as an agricultural contractor and a taxi driver in the Macroom area. He lived on Castle Street in the town centre with his elderly mother and the family are well known in the town as they run a small taxi business.

Locals in Macroom expressed their shock at the shooting, describing the dead man as ‘well known and liked’.

He was largely employed as an agricultural contractor and was ‘considered a very hardworking man’, in the community.

A Garda spokesman said: ‘At approximately 11.40pm gardaí were called to the scene of an incident at Raleigh North near Macroom.

‘A man in his 50s was being treated at the scene for an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead a short time later. The services of the Garda Technical Bureau have been requested by investigating Gardaí and an incident room has been established at Macroom Garda Station.’

‘Farmer rushed out to confront him’