GARDAÍ have confirmed they are investigating a gun attack on a house in Co Donegal at the weekend in which up to five shots were fired.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the community at Ray Bridge on the main Ramelton to Rathmullan road.
Five gunshots were heard around 4.20am on Sunday with residents saying they heard muffled sounds along with the shattering of glass.
Gardai carried out an investigation at the scene on Sunday and they later confirmed that gunshots were fired at a house. Homeowners in the locality were also interviewed during the Garda operation.
The incident has shocked the community and householders told the Tirconaill Tribune newspaper this is the second such incident in their midst in less than two years.
It has led to very serious concerns in the Ray Bridge area where a number of young families are now worried about remaining in the locality.
“The Gardai have not come along to inform us of why gunshots were fired in our midst and we are very scared about what might happen next. We have not been given any assurances about our personal safety or what precautions we need to take to protect ourselves. We don’t feel safe living here any more,” said member of the community alert group.
Gardaí have refused to comment further.
A spokesperson for the Rathmullan-Ray community alert group told today’s Tribune they are shocked by the lack of information which the Gardai have given to the community and they are demanding a full disclosure of the facts if only to reassure the residents of this area that they are not under threat should a gun battle develop.
It is reported that families are afraid to go to bed at night, taking turns to keep a watchful eye on their homes and property.
While nobody is prepared to talk openly about the cause of this latest incident, the residents say they’ve been informed that Garda patrols on this road have been increased in the past eighteen months.
However members of the community alert group say they can find little evidence of this and are demanding much a much more visible police presence in the area.
Local residents told the Tribune they might as well not have any community alert because it simply is not working for them and those signed up to it are being left in the dark.
A spokesman at Ray said they understood the purpose of the community alert system is that the Gardai will liaise with the area and provide advice and information about reporting incidents of this nature.
Most of the Rathmullan-Ray area is also linked into the text alert system but residents say that no information or messages have been sent to the community by the Gardai.
Tags:
