Garda Colm Horkan was a detective in the Garda Síochána, the national police service of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, who was shot dead by a 43-year-old man in

Castlerea Castlerea (; ) is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 1,992 at the 2016 Census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled ca ...

, County Roscommon,

on 17 June 2020, while on an anti-crime patrol.

Personal life

Colm Horkan was born on 13 December 1970 in

Charlestown, County Mayo Charlestown () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland, on the N17 road near its junction with the N5. History Charlestown was built in the mid-19th century on the initiative of Lord Dillon's agent, Charles Strickland, adjoining Bellaghy in Coun ...

to parents Dolores and Marty. He grew up with his four brothers—Aidan, Brendan, Dermot and Pádraic, and two sisters—Deirdre and Collette. Horkan was a former

Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Charlestown Sarsfields GAA ( ga, CLG Na Sairséalaigh, Baile Chathail) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland.https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlestown-Sarsfields-GAA/266623157804 Their most notable achieve ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

and joined the Garda Síochána in 1994. He attended the

Garda Síochána College Garda Síochána College is the education and training college of the Garda Síochána (Irish police service). It is located at McCan Barracks, Templemore, County Tipperary in Ireland. The college has been in Templemore since 1964. History Th ...

Templemore Templemore () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The 2011 Cens ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...

, the same time as Adrian Donohoe who was later shot dead in 2013 in a

Credit Union A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provisi ...

robbery in County Louth, becoming the 87th garda to be killed in the line of duty.

Incident

According to contemporary media reports, on Wednesday, 17 June 2020 at 11:45 pm, Horkan was on an anti-crime patrol by himself in

, County Roscommon and stopped a man after receiving a

report A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. Usage In ...

of someone

speeding Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

and driving recklessly on a motorcycle in the town's Main Street. Horkan stopped a male on a motorcycle matching the description provided to Gardaí by the public, and as he was speaking to him, the perpetrator reached for Horkan's issued firearm, and after a short struggle the man managed to get hold of Horkan's official SIG Sauer handgun and fired fifteen rounds, hitting him six times in the chest and neck. The other nine rounds went through a bank and shop window in the town centre. At around midnight, Gardaí rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshots from Castlerea Garda Station—just five minutes away from the scene. The Armed Support Unit arrived at the scene after Horkan pressed his

panic button A panic alarm is an electronic device that can easily be activated to request help during an emergency situation where danger to persons or property exists. It is designed to minimize time until assistance can arrive. A panic alarm is freque ...

on his

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

for emergency backup prior to the shooting. He was later pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene, becoming the 89th garda to be killed in the line of duty. The suspect made no attempt to flee the scene and was arrested minutes later.

Aftermath

The day after the incident on 18 June 2020, the

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Leo Varadkar and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

paid tribute to Horkan. Hundreds of people attended a

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' ( Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become gener ...

for Horkan in

, County Roscommon to pay their respects. A small marquee was set up on the street where the incident occurred and tributes were led by local

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

Paschal Fitzmaurice. On 20 June 2020, the President Michael D. Higgins led a memorial service on the grounds of

Áras an Uachtaráin (; "Residence of the President"), formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland. It is located off Chesterfield Avenue in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The building design was credite ...

. On 21 June 2020, a state funeral was held in St James's Church in his hometown of

. Due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

pandemic in the Republic of Ireland,

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...

protocols meant the numbers in the church were limited to Horkan's immediate family along with

Garda Commissioner The Garda Commissioner ( ga, Coimisinéir an Gharda Síochána) – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána – is the head of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of the Republic of Ireland. The Garda Commissione ...

Drew Harris and the Minister for Justice and Equality

Charles Flanagan Charlie Flanagan (born 1 November 1956) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Laois–Offaly constituency since 2020, and previously from 1987 to 2002, 2007 to 2016 and from 2016 to 2020 for the Laois const ...

. Dáil Éireann and garda stations around Ireland marked a minute's silence to remember Horkan. The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar marked the minute silence at Garda Headquarters in the

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

. At

, the president attended a ringing the Peace Bell and raised the

Irish flag The national flag of Ireland ( ga, bratach na hÉireann), frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' () and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange. The proportions of t ...

half-mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...

as a mark of respect to Horkan. On 5 September, Minister for Justice

Helen McEntee Helen McEntee (born 8 June 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Justice from June 2020 to November 2022. From April to November 2021, she became a minister without portfolio during a period of maternity leave ...

honoured and reflected on the loss of Horkan as she marked National Services Day 2020.

Alleged perpetrator

Stephen Silver, a 43-year-old man living in

Foxford Foxford () is a village 16 km south of Ballina in County Mayo, Ireland. It stands on the N26 national primary route from Swinford to Ballina and has a railway station served by trains between Manulla Junction and Ballina. Foxford lie ...

, County Mayo, but originally from County Roscommon, was reportedly arrested at the scene by Garda Helen Gillen and was brought to Castlerea Garda Station. He appeared at Harristown District Court and was charged with the murder of Horkan on 19 June 2020. Silver was first remanded in custody to

Castlerea Prison Castlerea Prison () is a closed category, medium security prison in Castlerea, County Roscommon, Ireland. It houses men over 17 years of age. As of 2009, it had a bed capacity of 351 and the daily average number of resident inmates was 306. H ...

on 19 June and was then transferred to the

Midlands Prison The Midlands Prison () is a medium security prison in Portlaoise, County Laois. It receives prisoners who are aged 17 years and over. It has a bed capacity of 870 and its daily average number of inmates resident in 2009 was 512. History The ...

Court

Silver was repeatedly deemed unfit to attend court at Harristown District Court in

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...

via

video link Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...

due to mental health issues. In February 2021, the Castlerea District Court deemed Silver to be fit for trial after having subsequently been deemed unfit for trial on seven occasions. On 23 March 2021, it was announced that Silver would go on trial at the Central Criminal Court on 15 June 2022.

Timeline

* 26 June 2020 – Silver was due to appear in court via video link on 26 June 2020 but was deemed unfit to appear for the first time. He was due to appear in court again via video link on 10 July 2020. * 10 July 2020 **It was revealed by Silver's solicitor Gearoid Geraghty that he was medically unwell and was unable to attend court for another two weeks. **Silver was being detained at the

Central Mental Hospital The Central Mental Hospital ( ga, An Príomh-Oispidéal Meabhar-Ghalar) is a mental health facility housing forensic patients in Portrane, Dublin, Ireland. The hospital, along with a community day centre for outpatients at Usher's Island, forms ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, where he was receiving ongoing

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psy ...

treatment. He was due to appear in court again on 24 July. * 24 July 2020 – It was announced that Silver's health is expected to gradually improve during the next two months and was still unable to attend court. He was due to appear in court for the third time on 7 August. * 7 August 2020 **Defence solicitor Martina Moran of Gearoid Geraghty & Company said that Silver was still receiving treatment at the Central Mental Hospital. **It was now the fourth time Silver has been deemed unfit to appear by video link at Harristown District Court. He was due to appear in court via video link again on 21 August. * 21 August 2020 **Silver was deemed medically unfit to attend court for the fifth time and remained at the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin. **It was reported that the extent of the investigation involves 200 statements, 250 exhibits and 70 segments of CCTV footage, while gardaí made inquiries with a witness in Australia. **He was due to appear in court via video link again on 4 September. * 4 September **Silver was deemed medically unfit to attend court for the sixth time and remained at the Central Mental Hospital. **Harristown Court was informed that the file into the killing of Detective Garda Colm Horkan was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. **He was due to appear in court via video link again on 18 September. * 18 September **Silver was deemed medically unfit to attend court for the seventh time and remained at the Central Mental Hospital. **Further details of the extent of the investigation were outlined at Harristown District Court when a defence solicitor questioned the length of time it was taking for the file to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. **Gardaí carried out over 350 house-to-house enquiries, taken over 200 written statements and viewed 70 pieces of CCTV footage. **He was due to appear in court via video link again on 7 October. * 23 October **Silver was deemed medically unfit to attend court for the tenth time and remained at the Central Mental Hospital. **A court heard that the case of Silver accused of murdering Detective Garda Horkan should proceed without the accused being present. **He was due to appear in court via video link again on 6 November. * 6 November **Further charges were considered against Silver as he was deemed medically unfit to attend court for the eleventh time and remained at the Central Mental Hospital. **He was due to appear in court via video link again on 20 November. * 27 November – Silver appeared at Castlerea District Court where he was charged with the capital murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan, and was remanded in custody to the

in Portlaoise to appear via video link before Harristown District Court on 4 December.

Trial

On 19 February 2021, Silver was sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court charged with the murder of Horkan. On 23 March 2021, it was announced that Silver would go on trial at the Central Criminal Court on 15 June 2022. In April 2022, it was announced that the trial was delayed until October 2022. Silver went on trial on 7 October 2022 and pleaded not guilty to the murder of Horkan acting in the course of his duty, but guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility. Silver told the Central Criminal Court that he shot Horkan because of "all that was going on with the police in the world", claiming he had been attacked by Horkan at first and was also heard to mention "

black lives matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

" in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The court heard Silver had been diagnosed with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

and had a history of mental illness and hospital admissions going back nearly 20 years. The defence argued that he was suffering from a relapse of his mental disorder at the time of the shooting. The prosecution case was that Silver was filled with anger towards Gardaí and there was no evidence that his mental disorder had caused him to act in the way he did. On 17 November 2022, the jury at the Central Criminal Court failed to reach a verdict in the trial of Silver.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horkan, Colm 2020 deaths Garda Síochána officers killed in the line of duty Deaths by firearm in the Republic of Ireland Deaths by person in the Republic of Ireland State funerals the Republic of Ireland 2020 murders in the Republic of Ireland