Gardaí had lucky escape when fired on during house raid, court told

Gardaí in Cork had a lucky escape and one officer narrowly avoided injury when they came under fire carrying out a house search which yielded two improvised firearms and ammunition and a large quantity of petrol bombs, a court has heard.

Det Insp Danny Coholan said that members of the Armed Support Unit (ASU) under Sgt Brian Teahan showed commendable restraint when they were shot at while carrying out the search at the home of the Keenan family at Islandview, Rochestown in Cork.

“Sgt Teahan and his team demonstrated great restraint – they did not return fire when a shot was discharged at them,” said Det Insp Coholan as he outlined how detectives from Douglas investigating the Keenans had requested assistance from the ASU to carry out a search of the Keenan home.

Det Insp Coholan gave details of the shooting at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, after father of 10, James Keenan (56) and three of his sons, Peter (28), John (26) and Michael James (20) pleaded guilty to a series of firearms offences arising out of the incident at their home on April 29th, 2021.

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He told how Sgt Teahan and his team of six officers were wearing full tactical gear designed for high-risk operations and this gear included ballistic vests as well as lighter vests which clearly identified them as gardaí with markings on the front and back as they approached the house.

Det Insp Coholan said Sgt Teahan and four other ASU officers, Garda Barry O’Brien, Garda Emma Hennebry, Garda Mick Kelly and Garda Mick Ring entered the front of the Keenan’s house while two other members of the ASU team went around the back to secure the rear of the premises.

“Sgt Teahan shouted ‘Armed gardaí’ and ‘search warrant’ as Garda O’Brien breached the front door before Garda Hennebry entered first, shouting ‘Armed gardaí’ as she took up a covering position in the hallway, holding a ballistics shield,” he said.

He told how Garda Kelly spotted Peter Keenan in the kitchen holding an improvised shotgun with the barrel in his left hand and the butt in his right hand and Garda Kelly engaged with him verbally, telling him to drop the weapon as Garda Hennebry turned towards the sitting room off the hall.

“As Garda Hennebry entered the door frame [of the sitting room], she observed James Keenan, who was sitting on the couch, discharge a firearm at her from the front sitting room . . . There was a ‘bang’ or a ‘pop’ sound and she shouted out ‘Shot being fired’,” said Det Insp Coholan.

“Garda Hennebry immediately felt the impact of the shot being fired to her left arm,” said Det Insp Coholan, adding that Garda Hennebry suffered soft tissue injuries to her left elbow but was otherwise uninjured in the blast with the cartridge lodging in the door, which had banged close.

Garda O’Brien breached the sitting room door and Garda Hennebry entered the room to hear Mr Keenan shouting repeatedly ‘I’m sorry’ as he tried to conceal something in a vent in the wall before Garda Kelly forced him to the ground where he was handcuffed by Sgt Teahan and removed.

Garda Kelly also shouted at Peter Keenan and John Keenan to come out of the kitchen and John Keenan raised his hands in the air while Peter Keenan also dropped his weapon and raised his hands in the air and both men were secured on the ground, handcuffed and removed from the house.

Meanwhile another brother, Michael Keenan ran out the back of the house and scaled a wall into a nearby derelict property, but he was pursued by armed officers, who identified themselves as gardaí and he was also handcuffed, arrested and also removed from the property.

Det Insp Coholan said the two improvised firearms seized by gardaí were capable of firing regular 12 gauge shotgun cartridges and they were simple to use and could not go off accidentally as the person holding them had to slam a bar into the barrel to detonate the cartridge.

“They are known as slam bang shotguns – they are very crude but very effective improvised firearms, they work every time and never jam,” said Det Insp Coholan, adding CCTV footage showed them being moved into the house from a nearby derelict property in the days before the raid.

He said that in addition to the two improvised shotguns and the discharged cartridge, gardaí also found 20 other live rounds of ammunition as well as a collection of pitchforks, slash hooks, a broken pool cue and a knife as well as 25 petrol bombs ready for use, some in the house and some in a shed.

He said that when James Keenan was interviewed by gardaí he told them that he and his family were in a feud with the McDonagh family and he thought it was McDonaghs who were coming and, fearing for his family’s safety, he fired the shotgun with the aim of scaring off the intruders.

But Det Insp Coholan said there was a large television in the sitting room which was connected to a CCTV system that covered the various approaches to the property including the front door which would have displayed images of gardaí as they approached the house and identified themselves.

Det Insp Coholan said James Keenan had 49 previous convictions, including ones for threatening to kill, public order, minor assault as well as road traffic offences, while Peter Keenan had 34 previous convictions including ones for possession of a knife, public order and road traffic offences.

John Keenan had 29 previous convictions including ones for affray, criminal damage, handling stolen goods and road traffic offences while Michael Keenan had no previous convictions. The case was adjourned to February 21st when Det Insp Coholan will be cross-examined by defence lawyers.