Ireland Case No. 10228Discharge of a firearm · Co. Dublin
Child reportedly fires gunshot after firearm dropped in garda pursuit in Ballymun
On 28 April 2026 at around 3pm in the Silloge area of Ballymun, north Dublin, gardaí on patrol chased two young men, and a firearm was dropped during the pursuit. A boy believed to be 11 is understood to have picked up the gun and fired a round, and no injuries were reported. Gardaí arrested two males, one in his 20s and a juvenile in his teens, and a file will be prepared for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The juvenile has since been released from custody, the adult remains in custody, and investigations are ongoing.
- Reported1 Apr
- Arrested1 Apr
2 reports - Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Gardaí on patrol saw two young men acting suspiciously, and the men ran from gardaí, who gave chase.
- A boy believed to be 11 is understood to have picked up the dropped gun and a round was discharged when he pulled the trigger, after which another youth took the gun and left the scene.
- When
- The incident happened at around 3pm on 28 April 2026.
- The firearm was found during a foot patrol the day before the article was published.
- Where
- The incident took place in the Silloge area of Ballymun, north Dublin.
- The firearm was found close to a children's play area in Coultry Park, reported as hidden in a bush.
- Cause
- The firearm was dropped during the garda pursuit of a man in the area, and gardaí believe a feud between two factions of young criminals is to blame.
- Weapon
- The firearm had one round in the chamber and was thrown to the ground during the pursuit.
- Other details
- No injuries were reported.
- Investigation
- Two males were arrested, one in his 20s and a juvenile in his teens, and the juvenile has since been released from custody while the adult remains in custody.
- A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed, the investigation is ongoing, and gardaí are pursuing a definite line of enquiry and trying to trace where the firearm is being kept.
- The firearm has been seized and will undergo ballistic and forensic examination, and the drug unit was conducting the patrol as part of Operation Tara.
- Charges
- A file will be prepared for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and no charges have been reported.
29 statements extracted from the articles
- whatGardaí on patrol spotted two young men acting suspiciously. (thejournal.ie)
- whatThe two men ran from gardaí, who gave chase. (thejournal.ie)
- whatA boy believed to be 11 picked up the gun and a round was discharged when he pulled the trigger. (thejournal.ie)
- whatAnother youth took the gun from the boy and left the scene. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe incident happened in Ballymun, north Dublin. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe incident took place in the Silloge area of Ballymun, Dublin. (thejournal.ie)
- whereThe firearm was found close to a children's play area. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe incident happened at around 3pm on the day of the article. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe most recent incident happened on the day before the article was published. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe discovery was made during a foot patrol in Coultry Park the day before the article was published. (thejournal.ie)
- causeA firearm was dropped during the garda pursuit of a man in the area. (thejournal.ie)
- causeGardaí believe a feud between two factions of young criminals is to blame. (thejournal.ie)
- weaponOne of the suspects threw a gun to the ground during the pursuit. (thejournal.ie)
- weaponThe firearm had one round in the chamber. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí had been responding to reports of a firearm incident in the area. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationTwo males were later arrested by gardaí. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationInvestigations into the incident are ongoing. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí arrested two males, one in his 20s and a juvenile in his teens. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationA file will be prepared for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí are trying to trace where the firearm is being kept. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationA Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the investigation. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationThe drug unit was conducting the patrol as part of Operation Tara, which targets drug-related activity in the area. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationThe firearm has been seized and will undergo ballistic and forensic examination. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationNo arrests have been made in connection with the discovery of the firearm. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationGardaí are pursuing a "definite line of enquiry" as investigations continue. (thejournal.ie)
- otherA shot was fired after a child picked up the dropped weapon. (thejournal.ie)
- otherNo injuries were reported. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe male juvenile has since been released from custody. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe adult male remains in custody. (thejournal.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 1 Apr2026Loaded handgun found hidden in bush near north Dublin playground
First report of the discovery of a loaded handgun near a Ballymun playground during a Drug Unit foot patrol; no arrests yet.
- 1 Apr2026Escalating gang feud to blame for incident in which 11-year-old fired shot from discarded gun
First report of this incident. Gives the account of the gun being fired, the arrests, the investigation and the feud background.
suspect, 20s, malesuspect, teens, male - 1 Apr2026Gardaí investigate report child fired gun dropped by suspect in garda pursuit
First report of the Ballymun incident: a child is understood to have fired a shot after a firearm was dropped during a garda pursuit, and two males were arrested. No injuries were reported.
suspect, 20s, malesuspect, male