According to the Northern Ireland Police Federation, a senior detective who was shot many times in front of his son during a football practise sustained injuries that will change his life.
In a sports complex in Omagh, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday night, Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot and killed.
In Omagh and Coalisland, County Tyrone, three men, ages 38, 45, and 47, were detained. They continue to be detained.
Early on Friday morning, a fourth male, 22, was detained in the Coalisland region, according to police.
The tweet below demonstrates the incident-related arrest of four men:
🔴 Four men arrested under terror legislation as police say their 'primary focus' is on violent dissident republicans and the New IRA https://t.co/rt8JCz8qPj
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 24, 2023
In the hospital, Mr. Caldwell’s condition is still serious but stable. The 48-year-old underwent surgery the night of the shooting, and it is believed that he had more surgery on Thursday.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) stated that while they were maintaining a “open mind” regarding the attack’s motivation, their “principal focus” was on the New IRA and violent dissident republicans.
Det Ch Insp Caldwell, according to police federation chief Liam Kelly, “was constantly looking to give back to society,” the BBC reported.
“He’s been involved in coaching with children over a long period, and this is how he’s been rewarded by terrorists – it’s an absolute disgrace,” he added.
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How ManyTimes Did The Officer Get Shot?
After being shot four times, Mr. Caldwell is thought to have stood up and advised kids to stay away from the area.
After the football practise, some kids waiting to be picked up by their parents “ran for shelter in absolute horror” when the shooting started.
According to Mr. Caldwell’s former headteacher at Omagh High School, many children who witnessed the incident are “experiencing a significant degree of trauma.”
After coaching a session, Mr. Caldwell loaded footballs into his car when two masked assailants arrived and started shooting.
A small, dark car that was destroyed and abandoned on Racolpa Road, just outside of Omagh, is where police believe the attackers escaped.
The murder of Natalie McNally in Lurgan in December prompted several significant investigations, including one that Mr. Caldwell, a well-known officer, spearheaded. Also, he participated in the 2019 inquiry into the slaying of journalist Lyra McKee.
Ms. McKee was murdered in Londonderry in 2019; the New IRA had previously been implicated in her death.
The group was suspected of being responsible for the attempted murder of two police officers in a bombing in Strabane, County Tyrone, last November.
Significant anti-government violence has occurred in Omagh in the past, notably a Real IRA bombing that murdered 29 people, including a mother who was expecting twins, in 1998. Moreover, it was there that Constable Ronan Kerr was killed in April 2011.
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