Gardaí have arrested five people after a shot was fired during a Garda search operation in Cork this evening.
The incident took place when gardaí attached to the Cork City Detective Unit were searching a premises at Island View, Rochestown Road as part of an investigation into ongoing criminal activity in the city.
The search was carried out under warrant for Section 29 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939, and conducted with the support of gardaí from the Armed Support Unit.
In a statement, gardaí said: “During the course of the search a shot was fired, not by a member of An Garda Síochána.”
Gain entry
In an update later on Thursday evening, gardaí said the shot was discharged by the occupants of the premises while officers were attempting to gain entry.
"The scene was secured by the Armed Support Unit and no injuries are reported," a Garda statement said.
A Garda search of the premises resulted in the discovery of two improvised firearms and ammunition, along with a number of petrol bombs.
A number of other weapons including axes, cleavers, hatchets and pikes were also recovered from the premises.
Four men — one aged in his late teens, two in their 20s and one in his 50s — and one woman aged in her 50s have been arrested in relation to the incident.
They are currently detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939, at a number of Garda stations in Cork City.
Gardaí are continuing to investigate the incident.
