Gardaí continue investigation into Longford shooting incident

The family of a man who was shot in his home last week have spoken of the shock at the incident.
PJ Finnan was seriously injured following a shooting in Longford town last Wednesday evening.
PJ was in the downstairs living room of his Springlawn home at around 7:50pm when shots were fired through the window.

The 74 year old was taken to Regional Hospital Mullingar following the incident.
It's understood that the attack is linked to an ongoing dispute.
Mr Finnan’s family described the impact of the incident.
“It was an absolute shock. I don't know how he (PJ) survived the fright, never mind the shooting. My father is 74 and my mother is 80.”

In the wake of the incident PJ's son, Patrick, spoke publicly about the attack: “He was shot in the arm.”

Speaking during an interview with Shannonside radio, Patrick added, “A gunman drove a car up, with two lads in it, one had a gun and he ran to the window and shot in at him.”
The family are perplexed by the attack: “He has been living in Longford for over 50 years. He is a well respected man. He's a very good natured man, for something like this to happen to him I just don't understand.”

PJ's son said his father is doing well in the aftermath of the attack: “He is very lucky. He's on the mend,” Patrick said, “he is doing really good.”
There have been no arrests to date.

In response to a query by the Leader the Garda Press Office said they were continuing to probe the matter: “There are no updates at this time. Investigations are ongoing.”
Meanwhile, Longford town councillor Seamus Butler has been strong in his condemnation of the incident.
He told the Leader that the shooting was “attempted murder.”

“It is an absolute shock that shots would be fired randomly into someone’s house. This sort of incident is not common in Longford. However, word gets out about the town as a result of this type of incident. Once again, people are saying that Longford is not safe,” Cllr Butler stated.
He added that “there is no substitute for the presence of Garda on the streets.”
“Whatever resources Gardai need, they need to be provided. Hopefully, the perpetrators will be arrested as soon as possible. People don’t feel safe as a result of such incidents,” he commented.

Cllr Butler, in addition to serving as Cathaoirleach of Longford MD, is also Vice-Chairman of Local Community Safety Partnership.

This body has been introduced to replace the Joint Policing Committees (JPC’s)
Longford is one of three pilot areas for the new project, which was introduced in 2022.
According to Cllr Butler, Longford has been an “exemplar” for the project to date.

“There is a new Superintendent being appointed in Longford. As well as policing, communities need to come together on this issue as well,” Cllr Butler added.