A brave garda who arrested one of the country’s most volatile criminals armed with a machine gun and an unpinned hand grenade has told how the terrifying incident crosses his mind every day.
Sgt Andrew O’Connor and two of his colleagues managed to take down Derek “Bottler” Devoy after he went AWOL in Ballymun, North Dublin, with a Makarov submachine gun in March 2019.
Devoy, who was later caged over the mayhem, was “inches” away from killing the gardai, his trial later heard.
Read more: Bottler one of the most hunted men in gangland when he 'ran amok' in city street
Yesterday Mr O’Connor was honoured with an excellence award at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors conference in Killarney, Co Kerry.
He admitted: “There’s no doubt about it, there’s not a day that goes past that it wouldn’t cross my mind.”
Sgt O’Connor, along with officers Conor Garland and Niall Minnock, responded to the incident after a crazed Devoy was observed by a member of the public letting off two rounds from the sub-machine gun.
The chase ended up in the bathroom extension of a separate family’s house on Crannogue Road when gardai found Devoy sitting on the toilet with the gun.
The three officers jumped on Devoy but all three ended up in the bath before he could be restrained.
One of the gardai narrowly avoided being shot as the gun went off with the bullet passing his eye-line.
After restraining Devoy, the gardai saw a grenade on the ground with the pin out –but luckily it did not go off.
Mr O’Connor has engaged with Garda Welfare Services since the incident who have provided him with support. He said: “I have over 20 years experience in the job from all aspects of it and I’ve done jobs overseas but it’s not your usual day’s work no matter what way you look at it.
“And luckily it’s not something that happens very often in this country.
“You expect to go home at the end of your tour of duty that’s what we all do when we go out to work, it’s only a job at the end of the day so to come across something like that – there was a number of rounds fired very close to me and nearly struck Garda Niall Minnock in the head because he was directly behind me.”
After being given the award, he added: “I was really taken aback, to be nominated by my peers and colleagues and friends is exceptional really.”
Devoy was sentenced to 17 years in jail, with the final two suspended.
Read more: Gangland criminal who "ran amok" with loaded submachine gun jailed for 15 years
Read more: Footage shows crazed gunman Derek 'Bottler' Devoy roaming streets of Ballymun with submachine gun
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