A Garda shot dead during an attempted bank robbery yesterday afternoon is believed to have been accidentally shot by a colleague.
Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne last night ordered an internal investigation into the shooting dead of Det Sgt John Eiffe who died following the incident at Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
He confirmed that the only shots fired came from Garda weapons and said no other weapons were recovered. A second garda was injured and taken to Portlaoise General Hospital. Mr Byrne said his injuries were not serious.
Two of four suspected raiders arrested at the scene were being questioned last night at Garda stations in Portlaoise and Tullamore. The two other men were receiving treatment for minor injuries.
Det Sgt Eiffe (40) was a married man with four children aged from 14 to two. Originally from Co Meath he was based at Garda Headquarters in Dublin where he was a member of the Garda National Surveillance Unit (GNSU).
The unit was in Abbeyleix along with a team from the Emergency Response Unit after tracking the movements of a four-man armed gang who earlier in the day stole several thousand pounds from the Bank of Ireland in Urlingford, Co Kilkenny.
At 4.15 p.m. the unit saw three cars occupied by four men pull up outside the AIB Bank at Main Street, Abbeyleix. Members of the unit confronted the men who tried to flee. At least five shots were fired in the commotion.
Det Garda Eiffe was seriously injured and taken to hospital,where his death was formally announced shortly after his family arrived at 7 p.m.
The scene was sealed off amidst heavy security while members of the Garda Technical Bureau began a forensics examination.
At least two of the vehicles used by the suspects, a red crash-damaged Nissan Almera and a two-seater Porsche sports car, remained at the scene as did a landrover, believed to have been used by garda∅ to block off one of the potential escape routes in advance of tackling the gang.
A staff member of a nearby shop who witnessed the incident said: "I saw two men crouched behind a car and I didn't see if they had guns; but they were in what I would call a shooting position."
The shooting happened at the busiest time of the week for the town, on the main Cork-Dublin route, which was packed with shoppers and weekend motorists.
At a press conference at Garda Headquarters last night, Commissioner Byrne announced the appointment of Assistant Commissioner Dick Kelly of the South Eastern Region to head an investigation into the shooting. The GNSU had been monitoring and gathering information on gangs suspected of armed robberies over the last few months.
Some of the robberies are suspected to be the work of Dublin-based gangs, at least one of which has members well known to the garda∅.
Mr Byrne confirmed Det Garda Eiffe and his colleagues were in Abbeyleix as part of this ongoing operation. He could not provide a detailed account of the events leading up to the garda's death before an investigation was completed. Reports of internal investigations into incidents where garda∅ are involved in shootings are usually not made public.
Mr Byrne said it was a "tragic day" for the force and extended his sympathies to the garda's family. The President, Mrs McAleese, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, expressed sorrow at the death.