The jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering Detective Colm Horkan in Co Roscommon has been shown the Garda standard issue firearm which was used to kill him.
Stephen Silver, of Aughaward, Foxford, Co Mayo, denies murdering Detective Horkan on June 17th 2020, but has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
After arriving at the scene of the shooting at the junction of Main St and Patrick St in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, Sergeant Bernard Kilroy said he saw a number of spent bullets. He also spotted a Garda ID badge and a gun. On inspection, he told the jury the top slide was back so he was satisfied the weapon was empty and safe.
Sergeant Michael O’Hara gave evidence of hearing the call for assistance coming over the radio that night. He remembered hearing the caller say, “officer down”.
When he arrived on the scene, he was told Colm Horkan had been shot. When he told Stephen Silver, who was handcuffed at the scene, that he had just shot a detective, he claimed the accused replied, “well, he wasn’t a very good one”.
The gun and some items of clothing were also shown to the jury today.
