Gardaí arrest man after 13-hour siege in Sligo

A man has been arrested after firing a gun at Gardaí and barricading himself into a house in Sligo.

Gardaí arrest man after 13-hour siege in Sligo

A man has been arrested after he barricaded himself in his home and shots were fired at gardai.

The siege at a house a few miles from Sligo town began after midnight when officers responded to reports of suspicious activity at the property.

Gardai said a man was seen inside the house carrying a shotgun.

A number of shots were fired during the tense stand-off with one shot initially aimed in the direction of uniformed officers shortly after they arrived at the scene on the Strandhill Road.

Gardai retreated to a patrol car following the first gunshot and trained negotiators and the elite armed emergency and regional response units were called in.

Several more shots were fired from the house during the siege which lasted more than 12 hours.

No one was injured.

Gardai said armed officers returned fire during the incident and also used less-lethal ammunition in attempt to bring the situation under control.

A number of homes on the Strandhill Road had to be evacuated during the overnight siege and the roads in the area, including the main Strandhill to Sligo road, were also blocked off.

The arrested man was alone in the house, believed to be the family home, where he had barricaded himself inside.

Damage was done to a patio door, gardai said.

During the operation and attempts to disarm the man, gardai said a critical incident operation was set up and an on-scene commander adopted specialist barricaded incident protocols used by the force in hostage or siege situations.

Two security cordons were put in place surrounding the house.

The area remained sealed off following the incident for technical and ballistic examinations.

The house is believed to be the family home and no other family members were present at the time of the shootings.

Gardai said a man in his 30s walked from the house at about 1.30pm today and was arrested.

He was being detained under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Sligo Garda station.

A licensed shotgun has been recovered.

A media blackout was in place at the request of gardaí during the stand-off.

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