I would take that gunman on again
Hero cop honoured for bravery over stand-off
A GARDA sergeant has spoken of the moment he faced down a drink and drug-crazed gunman – and said he would do it all again if he had to.
Eamonn Griffin added: “You wouldn’t have it on your conscience not to do it… because if anybody got hurt.”
Sgt Griffin received the Excellence Award at this year’s conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Westport, Co Mayo – over a dramatic stand-off in Co Donegal in early 2020.
He and three other colleagues were later awarded Scott medals for their bravery in confronting hunter Stephen Dowling – who fired off nine rounds from his highpowered rifle in Glenties in February of that year.
Sgt Griffin, who has 40 years’ service and is based in Glenties, was one of the first unarmed gardai on the scene, and spoke yesterday of the moment Carlow man Dowling, 27, aimed his rifle at him – and opened fire. He told us: “When it happened it was like slow motion. You could see the flash of the gun and you could hear the bullet going by. It is pure clarity.
“Your senses are heightened. Your senses are completely heightened. And things believe it or not went into sort of slow motion.
“I could see him aiming at me before he fired the gun.
And then when he fired the gun, I could see the flash from the rifle. I didn’t actually believe he was going to shoot at me at that stage.
“It happened so suddenly and you’re there. You don’t believe that somebody’s
CONVICTED
Stephen Dowling going to shoot you. That bullet came within inches.
“I could actually hear the bullet going by my ear. The colleague standing beside me, he could have lost his life or one of my other Garda colleagues could have lost their lives. Somebody in a house could have lost their lives.
“That man driving down the street could have lost his life, but thankfully, none of that happened.”
Sgt Griffin said he felt fear during the incident but was determined to do his duty. He said: “Of course you felt fear, When you realise you’re faced with a very dangerous threat, anybody no matter who they are, will feel fear.
“You feel fear at the time but then afterwards, when it’s over, that’s when it really kicks in.
“This man was a danger to the public and everybody else around him. So our biggest objective was to apprehend this man. You have a very clear clarity of thought. For that night, my main objective was to apprehend this person, no matter what the cost because he was of severe danger to everybody.
“You do have clarity of thought and you’re able to make decisions clearly. And thankfully it worked out.”
The uniformed officers contained Dowling until armed colleagues sped to the scene from 30 miles – and Sgt Griffin said he and other cops had no alternative but to confront the gunman. He said: “This fella had to be stopped. At all costs.”
In February Dowling pleaded to five charges of criminal damages and six charges of having possession of a weapon including a rifle and a hunting knife with intent to endanger life or cause damage to property.
Dowling, of Burren Road, Carlow, was jailed for eight years.
It was like slow motion, you could hear the bullet going by
SGT EAMONN GRIFFIN YESTERDAY