Partner of murdered Irish policeman was threatened as he ran to help dying cop

Detective Joe Ryan was warned he'd be shot

Detective Joe Ryan, the partner of murdered cop Adrian Donohue, was warned that he would be shot in the head if he came to the aid of his dying friend.

Ryan and Donohue were on escort duty for a large consignment of money leaving the Lordship Credit Union at Bellurgan, near Dundalk in Co. Louth  after closing on Friday night.

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The detectives noticed a suspicious looking dark-colored car in the credit union parking lot with three men inside it. A fourth man was waiting by the car as if on a lookout. As Det Donohue began to get out of the car to investigate when one of the men opened fire and shot him in the head with a shotgun.

‘Detective Ryan was told he too would be shot if he took another step. The gang then took the keys of the garda car before taking off,' a source told the Daily Mail.

‘They clearly panicked once they saw Adrian get out of the car but they were cool enough to take their keys.

‘And this was all for the sake of small money. It’s beyond belief.

‘They didn’t even give him a chance. No words were exchanged and he did not have his weapon in sight. He was shot before he even got a chance to stand up as he got out of the car.

Read More: Irish police detective shot dead in botched robbery attempt near border

‘He fell to the ground and died instantly. It’s absolutely appalling. The whole community is devastated – he was a very popular family man.’

The men, who are believed to have been carrying a handgun as well as the shotgun, then drove away out of the village as Det Ryan rushed to call for backup. A massive manhunt is now under way to track down the killers.

Police have said they were doing ‘everything in their power’ to bring the perpetrators to justice.  All the major national units including the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Special Detective Unit and Air Support Unit are involved in the hunt.

‘This is a cold-blooded murder,’ said Superintendent David Taylor. ‘Detective Donohoe had just alighted from the car. The scene was chaotic and we don’t have the exact timeline. He just stepped out of the car and was fatally wounded.

‘Detective Ryan is absolutely traumatised. It was a traumatic event for him to witness. His life was under threat too.’

He said Mrs Donohoe was ‘shattered’ over her husband’s death.

‘She is in bits,’ said Supt Taylor. ‘They have a very young family and they are absolutely in bits.

‘We are particularly interested in a dark coloured car that was seen driving in an erratic manner leaving the scene.

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Nster.com