Background:Lorna Siggins, Western Correspondent, outlines the sequence of events the Gort stand-off
When Garda press officer Supt Kevin Donohoe referred to "armchair generals" outside Gort Garda station late on Monday night, it was no accidental slip of the tongue.
Some 22 hours after gardaí were called out to Anthony Burke's home in Crowe Street, the press officer found himself defending the actions of his colleagues under the glare of lights, cameras and recording equipment held by over a dozen journalists.
It was after 9.30pm - just over an hour after the stand-off had ended - and an ambulance bearing Mr Burke had already arrived at University College Hospital, Galway (UCHG). The word was that the man was "losing a lot of blood".
Yet an hour before, some journalists had been led to believe that Mr Burke had been only slightly injured and successfully "disabled" with a non-lethal "beanbag round".
"This is something that we always face, with all due respect to you armchair generals," Supt Donohoe responded to several questions. "Our officers are highly experienced, highly trained. There's four levels of options [negotiation, challenge, less non-lethal force and lethal force], and all four levels were required before this matter was brought under control."
It had all begun about 11pm to 11.30pm on Sunday with a row in Mr Burke's home in Crowe Street which forced his partner, Mags Corless, to take refuge in a neighbour's house.
Ms Corless has three children - two boys aged 10 and 12, and a five-month-old baby. The couple have been living in the semi-detached house which Mr Burke had bought from the local authority - close to Gort's main square. Mr Burke's twin brother was called and tried to reason with him, one neighbour said.
"He left the house very, very angry when shots were fired." The gardaí were called and "it was then that the shooting really started".
One neighbour's car was damaged, along with at least one patrol car and several street lights.
By early Monday morning, neighbours had had no sleep and were being asked by gardaí to leave their homes. Mr Burke hadn't fired any more shots after about 2.20am, but it was known that he knew what he was about, as an experienced clay pigeon shot and holder of two licensed shotguns.
When journalists arrived, the small estate off the main road into Gort had been cordoned off at several points for several hours. Journalists couldn't see the house from their position about 300 metres away.
For much of the day, activity was low key, apart from the Garda helicopter overhead. Several unmarked vans - one resembling window cleaners - were permitted to drive into the estate, while all the neighbours were promised rooms at Sullivan's Hotel.
At midday, Supt Donohoe gave a briefing and appealed to Mr Burke to make contact. So far he had not spoken to any of the trained negotiators, and a full back-up, including a legal representative, doctor, priest and psychologist, were on hand, he said.
This man, who Supt Donohoe was careful not to identify at that stage, was not endeavouring to cause any injury, he stressed.
"We are satisfied that he is reasonably adept with a firearm and has no intent to target anyone." There would be no forcible entry, he emphasised. Across the road from the station, an ambulance was parked. En route back to the scene, this reporter called in to Sullivan's Hotel, where manager John Sullivan was working with Galway County Council director of services Frank Gilmore and his team to allocate rooms. Many of the neighbours were tired and angry - with some 15 children kept out of school.
Shortly after 4pm, an ambulance drove into the estate. However, it emerged that a garda had sustained ankle injuries and required medical attention.
At about 8.20pm there was a crack. Fireworks? Then one single shot - making three in all. Seconds later, the first of two ambulances arrived.
One journalist managed to get the Garda press officer on the phone, and those around her heard her take notes about a "non-lethal beanbag round". A full briefing would be held at 9.15pm.
As 9pm deadlines approached, broadcasts were prepared on this basis, and it was only some minutes later that word came back that the situation might be more serious.
When Supt Donohoe emerged after 9.30pm, he faced some heated questions. The objective was to resolve the situation without loss of life, he said, but "if people take loaded firearms into the public domain, then it is out of our control".