The family of Garda Colm Horkan have said he “deserves a public inquiry” after he was murdered on duty.
In June 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, Detective Garda Colm Horkan was shot dead in Castlerea, County Roscommon.
Stephen Silver had taken the detective’s gun out of his holster and used it to murder him.
Stephen Silver pictured at Castlerea District Court. Picture by: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.Concerns have since been raised that the holsters used by members of An Garda Síochána are not safe or secure.
It has also been alleged that Garda management were warned about apparent design flaws before Detective Horkan’s murder.
On The Claire Byrne Show, Dermot Horkan, brother of Colm, said he is “terribly missed in our home” and the grief is compounded by the “tragic circumstances” of his death.
“There seems to be a lot of questions with this, with this holster, as we mentioned in our statement to our solicitor,” he said.
“We just pointed a few questions on; what was the correct procedure for the procurement of the holsters and acceptable standards and what was the health and safety process undertaken?
“These are just some of the questions that we want answered.
“If there's no cover up or if there's nothing to hide, I can't see why ministers can't call for a public inquiry, just like we asked for.”
Detective Garda Colm Horkan is laid to rest at St James's Church cemetery in Charlestown, County Mayo in June 2020. Picture by: Mark Condren/Irish Independent/RollingNews.ie.Despite this, Mr Horkan fears that he and his family will “never get all the answers”.
“We have our own questions,” he said.
“But I think Colm deserves that; I think he deserves a public inquiry.
“He went out that night to protect and serve and he didn't come home and Colm deserves that.”
He also praised Labour TD Alan Kelly, who he said has “never took the foot off the gas” in his pursuit of answers for the family.
“We don't want to be down this road today, issuing a tough statement like that,” he said.
“But we felt we had no option.”
The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment.
Main image: Garda Colm Horkan. Picture by: RIP.ie.
