A RETIRED detective died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the Garda station where he had worked, minutes after telling a former colleague that he was going to have a look at a file, an inquest heard yesterday.
The 55-year-old former detective died in the armoury of Carrick-on-Shannon Garda station which is off the detective branch office, the local coroner’s court was told. Access to the armoury is controlled by a code, it emerged during evidence.
Peter O’Donnell spent 35 years in the force, 29 of them in Carrick-on-Shannon and had retired two months before his death on July 25th last.
Mr O’Donnell was found by a former colleague Det Sgt Dermot Flannery.
When he arrived for work shortly after 10 that morning he noticed that the key to the detective office was missing. He had seen Mr O’Donnell’s car outside the station and had expected to meet him in the dayroom.
He was about to go out to do a patrol when he keyed in the code to the armoury but could only open the door about six inches. After pushing in the door he found his former colleague in a sitting position. He felt for a pulse but there was none.
The jury heard that Mr O’Donnell was pronounced dead at the scene by a local GP Dr Marian Brogan at 10.45am.
A postmortem was carried out by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy in Sligo General Hospital. Her report, read to the jury yesterday, found there were two gunshot wounds under the deceased’s chin which were consistent with self-inflicted shots. No trace of alcohol or drugs were found.
Expressing sympathy to Mr O’Donnell’s wife and four children the coroner Dr Des Moran said it appeared Mr O’Donnell had died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds and he invited the jury to find in accordance with the medical evidence, which it did.
Sgt Keelan Brennan of Carrick-on-Shannon Garda station said the deceased was much loved and highly respected by everyone who knew him.