On the evening of 22 February 2023, two gunmen shot and wounded off-duty

Detective Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

John Caldwell of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Omagh, Northern Ireland. The gunmen are believed to have been linked to the

New Irish Republican Army The New Irish Republican Army, or New IRA, is a paramilitary organisation founded in July 2012. It was formed after the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) and other small Irish republican paramilitary gr ...

. Fifteen people were detained in connection with the shooting, and by February 2024, eleven people had been charged in connection with the shooting, eight of whom with

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...

Background

Caldwell is known in part for investigating high-profile murder incidents, including the murder of Ronan Kerr and the death of Lyra McKee. He has received multiple death threats in the past. He was 48 years old at the time of the shooting.

Events

John Caldwell coached an under-15s football team at the Youth Sports complex in Omagh. At 20:00, following a practice session, Caldwell was loading footballs into his car with his son. Two men approached and opened fire. Caldwell fled, but was hit and fell, with the gunmen continuing to fire at him. According to police, the children fled in "sheer terror". The gunmen fled in a small car, which was later found burnt out, outside Omagh by police. A member of the public administered first aid. Caldwell was then taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

and underwent two surgeries. He suffered life-changing injuries. The attack was condemned by several political leaders including UK Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...

, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Chris Heaton-Harris Christopher Heaton-Harris (born 28 November 1967) is an English politician who has served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 6 September 2022. Early life and education Born on 28 November 1967, Heaton-Harris attended the Tiffin ...

and Taoiseach

Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...

Investigation and trail

On 26 May 2023, seven men were charged with attempted murder. The men range in age from 28 to 72 and appeared by videolink at Dungannon Magistrates Court on 29 May 2023. An eighth man was charged in February 2024. In July 2024, four of those charged with attempted murder were granted bail as the trial was not expected to complete until 2026.

References

{{reflist Omagh 2023 in Northern Ireland February 2023 events in the United Kingdom February 2023 events in Ireland Attacks in the United Kingdom in 2023