UPDATE: Gardaí now have the suspect in custody. The Connaught Telegraph reports that five loud bangs were heard before that happened, though video reports have not been yet verified.
Gardaí in Ballina responded to reports of a male brandishing a knife in a threatening manner in the Market Square area of Ballina, Co Mayo this evening [Wednesday] at approximately 6pm,” a garda spokesperson told the Independent.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gardaí in Ballina closed off a street in the town centre and the Garda Emergency Response Unit are on the scene after reports that a serious incidence had developed in a shop in Market Square.
It appeared that around 7.15pm that evening a man barricaded himself inside a business in the town. Two staff members who had been in the small supermarket fled when the man entered.
“It’s understood two staff members had been threatened but managed to leave and raise the alarm,” Midwest Radio reported.
A large number of Gardaí attended the scene, including armed gardaí, with a Garda spokesperson saying yesterday evening: “As this is a live operation, no further details are available at this time.”
Rumours circulating of a hostage situation in #ballina #comayo this evening with heavy Garda presence in the town. pic.twitter.com/6q3jHmIWJ9
— Alan Clarke (@AlanClarkeTweet) September 27, 2023
Current scenes in Ballina. pic.twitter.com/fAEIDpDPq1
— Alan Clarke (@AlanClarkeTweet) September 27, 2023
More to follow…