Garda heard a bullet zip by his ear when coked-up gunman started shooting
A GARDA sergeant has revealed he heard a bullet whizzing past his ear when a cocaine-fuelled gunman fired shots at him.
Sergeant Eamon Griffin was part of the response to an armed shooter situation that unfolded in Glenties, Co. Donegal, in the early part of 2020.
The brave garda was honoured at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors’ annual delegate conference in Westport, Co. Mayo, yesterday for his heroism as well as his 40 years of service.
Stephen Dowling, who went on the shooting rampage with a high-powered rifle in a rural town, was jailed for a total of eight years in 2022.
Speaking about that night, Sergeant Griffin said he often thinks about what could have happened had he or one of his colleagues been hit by a bullet.
‘Of course, you always think about it. It comes up, especially on occasions like this when it’s talked about. You think about it more then.
‘Yes, you would think about it throughout the year. You go through a traumatic experience and you would think about it. ‘Lots of things could have happened. I could have lost my life. One of my colleagues could have lost their lives. Numerous things could have happened. ‘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,’ he said.
Asked about what was going through his mind as Dowling fired off rounds into the dead of night, Sergeant Griffin added: ‘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, he said.’
Gardaí in Ballybofey rushed to the scene once they got the call and tried to contain the danger as they waited for the Armed Support Unit.
Sergeant Griffin said he would do it all again, although admitted it was very tense waiting for the armed support to arrive.
‘It was extremely tense, and you wanted them to be there beside you there and then, but because you’re living in a rural area, it’s going to take time.
‘In that period, my main objective was to have this fella cordoned off so nobody else will get hurt. There’s nothing you can do but wait until that happens.
‘This fella had to be stopped, at all costs. You couldn’t stay in the station and wait for somebody to come – you had to go out and confront him. It’s part instinctive, but it is training as well. That is what we are trained for and that is what we are sworn to do. It is part of your job. It is an abnormal job. You know, your whole life could change in a matter of 10 minutes.’
‘That is what we are trained for’