THE OWNER of a petrol station where thieves opened fire during an armed raid has spoken of his relief that none of his staff or customers were injured.
Three masked men armed with a pump-action shotgun, a single-barrel shotgun and a knife entered Reid’s petrol station on the main street in Foynes, Co Limerick, shortly before 11pm on Monday.
A female customer in her early 20s who was in the forecourt of the garage at the time was forced out of her car at knife-point by one of the raiders.
One of the men fired a shot into the ceiling after they entered the shop demanding cash.
Two female staff members were working behind the deli counter at the time, while two male staff members, a man in his 50s and a man in his 20s, were at the check-out.
The staff handed over the contents of the till, understood to be in the region of €1,000, and the raiders then demanded that they open the cigarette machine.
“When the staff members told them they didn’t have the keys to the cigarette machine, they seemed to get more agitated and fired another shot before leaving,” said shop owner Kevin Reid.
“The main thing is that all the staff and customers are okay. They’re obviously all very upset and shaken by all of this and we’ve organised counselling for them, and I want to do as much as I can for them.”
One other customer was in the shop at the time besides the young woman who was forced from her car.
“In a way I’m glad the Rose of Tralee was on because the shop would have been much busier at the time if it wasn’t. There could have been around 10 or 12 people in the shop at the time,” said Mr Reid, who described the amount of money stolen as not important.
“The money is beside the point – the fact that nobody was injured is the main thing,” he said.
Gardaí are viewing CCTV footage from the shop in an effort to identify the getaway car used by the three raiders, who wore balaclavas and spoke with eastern European accents.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Askeaton Garda station on 061-601630.