2 shot dead in Ireland, including police officer

A police officer and another man were shot dead and a woman seriously injured in a shooting at a house in Ireland on Sunday, police said in a statement.

The shooting occurred at a home near Omeath, County Louth, close to the border with Northern Ireland, police said.

"Two people (adult males) have been fatally injured and one adult female seriously injured as a result of this incident," a statement from the national police service An Garda Siochana read.

"We can confirm that one of the deceased was an on duty member of An Garda Siochana."

Police were responding to a call from a woman about a domestic dispute, and the incident is being treated as a murder-suicide, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported.

The police officer who was killed leaves behind a wife and three children, according to the Deputy General Secretary Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, John Jacob.

"Our colleague left his home today to do his job," Jacob said in a statement. "There are no words tonight to describe the loss felt among the Garda family."

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald expressed condolences to the officer's family and colleagues.

"The fact that a Garda has laid down his life while protecting the community is a cause of great sadness," a statement from Fitzgerald said.

"His death will be mourned by the entire nation, grateful for the service which he gave to it."

The shooting happened in the same county where Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was shot dead in 2013, the first police officer to be fatally shot on duty in Ireland since 1996.
Source: AFP