Horkan family calls for public inquiry into faulty holster

The family of murdered Detective Garda Colm Horkan has asked for a public inquiry into the circumstances of his death, citing reports that a faulty gun holster may have contributed.

Horkan was shot 11 times on 17 June 2020 while on duty in Castlerea after his assailant obtained his weapon. Stephen Silver was later convicted of the murder and is serving a life sentence.

The Horkan family’s statement notes that numerous reports have alleged the holster issued to the detective was defective, made of pliable leather and not fit for purpose. They refer to a separate incident six days before Horkan’s killing, when another garda was accidentally shot while on duty outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin, also reportedly due to a faulty holster that caused life‑changing injuries.

Former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and former Ministers for Justice Helen McEntee TD and Jim O’Callaghan TD have been approached for answers. Detective Superintendent Brian O’Reilly, who raised the holster issue in the Dáil, made a protected disclosure about faults detected in the equipment.

Horkan’s brother Dermot said a public inquiry is now the only way to uncover the truth, adding that the family has received little information from An Garda Síochána.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Oliver Schröder / Pexels.