ARMED SIEGE DAD KILLS HIMSELF
Tragic farmer ‘tried to blast a family member’
A MAN tried to shoot a member of his family before blasting himself to death with a shotgun yesterday.
Gardai were called to the siege at a house in rural Wolfhill, Co Laois, after reports of gunfire.
A source said: “It is believed a farmer in his 40s was holed up in
a farmhouse after he fired shots from his shotgun at a relative.
“There was a domestic row at the house and both the man’s son and wife fled from the scene.
“Gardai called in the Emergency Response Unit because they are the specialists in armed barricade incidents.
“A specialist negotiator was also on scene and they were trying to talk the man out of the building.”
The ERU, based in Dublin, were dispatched but were also backed up by local armed Regional Support Units.
It is understood the man turned the weapon on himself shortly after launching his siege.
Sources have confirmed gardai did not fire any shots. The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission were notified and are set to travel to the scene.
The Garda Press Office requested a media blackout during the siege for safety reasons but lifted this at 9pm last night.
A spokesman said: “Gardai attended an incident at Wolfhill, Co Laois, this afternoon at approximately 3pm.
“Gardai are now investigating all the circumstances surrounding the death of a male in his 40s.
“No other person is being sought in relation to the incident.”