BREAKING: A member of the gardaí has been shot dead in Co Louth
A member of the gardaí has been shot dead in Co Louth this evening.
The gunman is also dead, while a woman has been taken to hospital in a serious condition with gun-shot wounds.
An Garda Síochána is treating the case as one of murder-suicide.
The dead garda is in his late 30s and is the father of three young children under the age of eight.
RTE reports that he left Omeath Garda Station this evening and called to a house on the Cooley Peninsula near Carlingford to deal with a domestic dispute.
He entered the property and was confronted by a man yielding a handgun. Journal.ie describes the shooter as "a well-known dissident Republican".
Scene of shooting in Omeath Co Louth in which a garda and at least one other person died http://t.co/lKizCA8ta0 pic.twitter.com/DfleMZAlW0
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 11, 2015
The area has been sealed off and the State Pathologist has now been notified.
A garda spokesman said shortly after the shooting: "Several people have been injured after an incident including a member of an Garda Siochana."
The spokesman later confirmed that the on-duty garda had died, along with one other person.
The shooting happened only a few kilometres from the location where Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, 41, was shot and killed on January 25, 2013.
No one has ever been charged with his killing; he was the first officer to be shot dead in the line of duty since the 1996 death of father-of-five, Jerry McCabe.
No words can describe terrible loss of Garda's life in Omeath while protecting community. Heartfelt sympathies to family, friends,colleagues
— JusticeDepartment (@DeptJusticeIRL) October 11, 2015
