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Killed in the line of duty
15.12.09
Nation grieves for
young Garda
by Linda McGrory
A FULL-scale investigation is underway in Inishowen
following the tragic death of a popular young Garda
in the line of duty.
Twenty-four years old Garda Gary McLoughlin died in
Letterkenny Hospital early yesterday following an
horrific head-on collision 24-hours earlier at
Skeoge on the main road between Burt and Bridgend.
Garda McLoughlin, who was from a farming background
in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, had served for the last
four years in Buncrana and was living in Letterkenny
with his girlfriend, Shauna Bradley. His death has
cast a dark shadow over the newly-opened Buncrana
district Garda headquarters, as devastated officers
try to come to terms with the loss of their
colleague.
The time-line to the tragedy began around 1.30am on
Sunday when two plain-clothes detectives, in an
unmarked car, saw a Northern-registered red Opel
Astra drive off at speed from a filling station at
Bridgend. The detectives gave chase before calling
for back-up.
Assistance came in the form of a patrol car, driven
by Garda Gary McLoughlin, which was on the
Letterkenny to Bridgend road.
It is understood the accident happened when the Opel
suddenly turned and headed back in the direction of
Derry, colliding head-on with Garda McLoughlin's
patrol car, which had pulled over to the hard
shoulder on its correct side facing in the direction
of Burt. It is understood the driver of the Opel was
wanted for questioning by Gardai. A team from the
Garda Ombudsman Commission spent all day Sunday
examining the scene. However, the Ombudsman
yesterday handed the investigation back to Gardai
saying it was satisfied, on the basis of the
available evidence, that it did not need to lead the
probe. Taoiseach Brian Cowen travelled yesterday
afternoon from a North-South Ministerial meeting in
Limavady, Co Derry, to Buncrana Garda Station, where
he signed a book of condolence and offered his
sympathies to the deceased man’s colleagues and his
girlfriend Shauna. |
Garda Superintendent
William Johnston who had been Garda McLoughlin's
most senior officer for about a year, said the
24-year old made a great impression on people.
"He was a lovely, handsome young fella with red
hair. Your abiding memory would be of him with his
sleeves rolled up, always ready to muck in.
"He was very friendly and was one of those lads who
made an impression on people. He was a distinctive
individual who was very involved in the local
community. Local people here seemed to know him as |
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'the nice young fella
with the red hair'," said Supt Johnston.
He said the community in Buncrana and the peninsula
were rallying around the local force.
"We had a prayer service at the station on Sunday
night and there must have been around 100 people at
it. We had locals, we had members of the local fire
brigade, RNLI and a number of councillors here. The
local support has been very good," said Supt
Johnston.
Garda McLoughlin worked on a unit led by Garda
Sergeant Danny Devlin. A clearly upset Sgt Devlin
said he had worked with the young officer since his
arrival in Buncrana at the tender age of 20. "He was
on my unit and he was a fine young fella," he said.
Meanwhile, Garda Bernard McLoughlin, 23, from
Gurteen, Co Sligo, who was also in the patrol car,
was released from hospital with the support of a
wheelchair yesterday. While he suffered injuries
including a lot of bruising, he is expected to make
a full recovery, said Supt Johnston. The driver of
the Astra, a man in his 20s, also sustained non
life-threatening injuries.
The Mayor of Buncrana, Cllr Lee Tedstone, has been
consolidating the community’s response to the
tragedy since early on Sunday.
"People shouldn't forget that, despite being a Garda
officer of four years' standing, this was a 24 year
old who lost his life. He was only a kid and he died
providing a service to our community," said Cllr
Tedstone. He said he would attend the funeral in Co
Leitrim on behalf of the people of Buncrana.
The deceased man's girlfriend, Shauna Bradley,
originally from Umricam, works part-time in the
SuperValu supermarket, Buncrana. Supermarket manager
Kieran Doherty yesterday said the young Garda
sometimes visited the store when he was off duty.
"He would be in collecting Shauna from time-to-time.
He was a nice, likeable sort of a fella," he said.
The deceased man was also popular in his native
Ballinamore where he played football at underage and
junior level with Fenagh St Callin's GAA club. Club
secretary Vincent O'Rourke last night offered the
club's sympathies to his parents Una and Noel,
brother Enda and sister Tracey. "The McLoughlin
family are very well regarded here and this is a
terrible tragedy for them," said Mr O'Rourke.
The assistant State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis
was on his way to Letterkenny Hospital yesterday
afternoon to conduct a post mortem, as Gardaí
appealed for witnesses to the accident. They are
looking for anyone who travelled the Letterkenny to
Derry road between 1am and 2am on Sunday. They are
particularly interested to
know if any motorist saw the red Opel Astra,
registration AHZ 5912, or a navy blue Ford Mondeo
Sedan, registration 07 D 8652. Any witnesses can
contact the appeal line on 1890-600800 or Buncrana
Garda Station on 93 20540. |
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