Family of murdered garda seeks inquiry into issued gun holster
The brother of murdered Detective Garda Colm Horkan is calling for a public inquiry into the procurement of allegedly defective handgun holsters. The family believes management ignored warnings about the equipment's safety prior to the 2020 shooting.
Why it matters
This raises significant concerns regarding police accountability, whistleblower protection, and the safety of law enforcement equipment.
The brother of murdered Detective Garda Colm Horkan has called for a public inquiry into An Garda Síochána's issuing of allegedly defective leather handgun holsters.
Speaking publicly for the first time about their concerns since his brother's murder in 2020, Dermot Horkan said recent revelations about the handling of Garda whistleblower complaints about the holsters had raised serious questions for his family.
Detective Horkan was shot dead by Stephen Silver in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, in June 2020, after Silver took the detective's official firearm from its holster.
Concerns have since been raised that the holsters provided to members by An Garda Síochána were not safe or secure, and that Garda management had been warned about related design specification issues before Detective Horkan's murder.
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