An off-duty police officer gunned down in Northern Ireland has been named as senior detective John Caldwell.
The high profile officer—who has headed up major murder inquiries in the region—was shot multiple times on Wednesday evening at a sports complex in Omagh, Co. Tyrone.
The Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) is currently fighting for his life in hospital where he remains in a critical but stable condition, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said on Thursday.
The involvement of violent dissident republicans—including terror group the New IRA—is currently the main line of inquiry, police confirmed.
Caldwell had been loading footballs into the boot of his car alongside his young son when two masked men approached and opened fire in the complex car park.
He had just finished coaching an under-15 soccer team when the attack was carried out in full view of shocked parents and children.
The shooting, described by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as “disgraceful,” has received condemnation across Northern Ireland’s political spectrum.
Three Suspects Arrested
“The community of Omagh has endured profound suffering, loss and pain in the past which has left a deep trauma, and so this act of violence has left people there rightly angered,” the statement reads.“There is absolutely no tolerance for such attacks by the enemies of our peace. Those responsible must be brought to justice. This will require the full co-operation of the public whom we call upon to assist police in this attempted murder investigation.
“Together we stand with John’s family and his colleagues in the police service at this time.”
Speaking to the media outside PSNI headquarters in Belfast on Thursday morning, Chief Constable Simon Byrne confirmed three men had been arrested in relation to the shooting.
Aged 38, 45, and 47, they were detained in the Omagh and Coalisland areas of Co. Tyrone on Thursday morning.
The men are currently being questioned at Musgrave serious crime suite, the Chief Constable added.
Describing the attack on the senior investigating officer as a “deeply troubling day” for the PSNI, the police chief told reporters: “Clearly as an organisation, we are utterly shocked and angered by last night’s brazen and calculated attack.
“John is a father, husband, and colleague, and a valued and active member of his local community.”
He said Caldwell has been a valued police officer for 26 years, and was “committed to public service as a senior investigating officer supporting victims and their families in bringing offenders to justice.”
He added: “John is held in the highest esteem within our organisation. He is a credit to his family and to the police service. And of course our thoughts are with John and his family as he fights for his life in hospital today.”
Shots Fired From Close Range
Speaking during Thursday’s press conference, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said Caldwell’s young son would never forget seeing his father get shot.“Last night at approximately 8 p.m. at the youth sports centre in Killyclogher Road, Omagh, when John was putting footballs into the boot of the car, accompanied by his young son, two gunmen approached and we believe both have fired multiple shots.
“John ran a short distance and fell to the ground when the gunmen continued to fire shots at him. That shows the absolute callous nature of this attack, and it is utterly disgusting that the gunmen carried out this attempted murder in front of crowds of adults and children.”
McEwan added: “John’s own young son was with him at the time and witnessed the shooting.
“The trauma inflicted on this young boy is just horrific and he will never forget seeing his dad shot multiple times. The gunmen fired from close range in the busy sports training area, which could also quite easily have killed or seriously injured children who were present at the time of the shooting.”
The senior officer said that children waiting for parents to pick them up “ran for cover in sheer terror toward the centre.”
He added: “Those who carried out this attack were completely reckless in their actions and they had absolutely no regard for the officer who was injured or anyone in the crowd.”
Dissident republican group the New IRA was the primary focus of the police investigation, McEwan confirmed.
“The two gunmen, who were dressed in dark clothing, carried out this cowardly attack and left the scene on foot,” he said. “At least two other vehicles were struck by their volley of shots.
“We believe the gunmen fled the scene in a small, dark-coloured vehicle shortly after 8 p.m. We believe this vehicle was abandoned and set on fire in Racolpa Road, Omagh. We want to hear from anyone who was in the area or who witnessed what happened to get in touch with any information that could help with our investigation.”
A Persistent Threat
The New IRA—the primary focus of detectives investigating the attack on the senior police officer—is believed to be the largest of the dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland.It has been linked to a number of murders in the province, including those of journalist and author Lyra McKee in 2019, police constable Ronan Kerr in Omagh in 2011, as well as prison officers David Black in 2012 and Adrian Ismay in 2016.
The terror group is believed to have been formed between 2011 and 2012 following the merger of a number of smaller groups, including the Real IRA—the group behind the 1998 Omagh bombing, which was the single worst atrocity of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The group is strongest in Derry and in the nearby Co. Tyrone town of Strabane, with a presence in Belfast and smaller pockets in counties Tyrone and Armagh.
In August 2020, the alleged leadership of the New IRA suffered a major blow with a series of arrests prompted by MI5-led Operation Arbacia, which infiltrated the terrorist organisation.
Speaking to The Epoch Times on Friday, security expert and author of the critically acclaimed book “Agents of influence,” Aaron Edwards, said despite the reducing terror threat level in Northern Ireland, groups like the New IRA will remain an ongoing danger to peace.
“In the recent Operation Arbacia, it was assumed towards the end of last year that the security services had dismantled that organisation from the top down, but it remains a persistent threat,” he said, as the group remained capable of targeting police.
“Even though the overall security situation—in terms of the threat posed by dissident republicans—has been reduced from severe to substantial, they continue to pose a persistent threat to the personal security of police officers in Northern Ireland and anyone connected to security in Northern Ireland. And so their relevance remains.
“That relevance is to continue to carry a torch for militant Irish republicanism, and to demonstrate that it continues, despite Sinn Fein entering the political institutions and supporting those political institutions over the years.”
No Place for Violence
British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said Thursday that he was making his way to the province following Caldwell’s shooting.Describing the attack as “cowardly and callous,” he said the community of Omagh is “completely shocked by this because society has moved on in Northern Ireland,” adding: “There is no place for violence like this.”
Asked if he was concerned about the safety of PSNI officers, Heaton-Harris said: “I’m always concerned about the safety of PSNI officers but they’re completely professional, and in all my experiences with them they know exactly what they’re doing and actually are policing the communities of Northern Ireland really effectively and very, very well.
“But this is a really significant event. It’s a very serious event, and it’s difficult to underline how cowardly these people are.”
His condemnation was echoed by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who condemned the “grotesque act of attempted murder.”
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins also said: “The shooting of a police officer in front of his son is something that will be condemned by all those who believe in democracy and the peace that we all need to sustain.
“It is to be welcomed that members of all communities have expressed their revulsion at this act.”
Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said the shooting was “diabolical and unacceptable,” and added there was no excuse or political rationale for it.
She told RTE: “There can be no hiding place for this. There can be no sympathy for this. There is no rhyme or reason politically speaking for a vicious act of thuggery like this.
“Now what we need is an all-Ireland effort, co-operation between An Garda Siochana and the PSNI to find the motive for this act, and more importantly to apprehend the perpetrators, and anybody with any evidence or any information must not hesitate in bringing that forward immediately to the appropriate authorities.”
