Co Galway siege ends as man leaves house

A man who barricaded himself in a house in Gort, Co Galway for over 21 hours has been taken to hospital after being hit by at…

A man who barricaded himself in a house in Gort, Co Galway for over 21 hours has been taken to hospital after being hit by at least one non-lethal round fired by gardai.

It is understood that the man left the house voluntarily at approximately 8.30pm, and as he did so, fired a number of shots. It is not yet clear whether he fired the weapons deliberately or accidentally.

Gardai at the scene then fired a number of non-lethal rounds, thought to be of the bean-bag type, designed to temporarily disable a person.

The man is not thought to be seriously injured, although that has yet to be confirmed. He has been taken to Galway University Hospital.

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The man had two legally held-shotguns.

The tense stand-off had lasted since 11.30pm on Sunday. The man barricaded himself in his home on Crowe Street and fired several shots at garda cars, after gardai were called to the estate.

Earlier this evening the man finally agreed to make contact with a Garda negotiator.

Around 50 gardai were drafted into the town throughout the day as gardai surrounded the house at the centre of the siege.

The Garda Emergency Response Unit, Air Unit, dog teams and an ambulance crew were all called to the town. The man's wife and two children left the house on Crowe Street a short while after gardai arrived late on Sunday and a stand-off continued through the night.

Nearby roads in the estate were sealed off and around 100 neighbours were evacuated from the area and moved to a local hotel at around 5am.

Luke Cassidy

Luke Cassidy

Luke Cassidy is Digital Production Editor of The Irish Times