Teen girl and man hit by gunfire

Teen girl and man hit by gunfire

31 July 2024

A YOUNG girl and a man in his 40s were shot by a high powered air rifle during a terrifying incident in Downpatrick.

The man was shot in the head, while the girl was shot in the foot at Owenbeg Bowling Club.

Eyewitnesses have described the shooting as “horrific” and say it was fortunate more people weren’t injured.

The shooters were seen firing the rifle from the window of a house at an estate close to the site of the old Downe Hospital. While neither the teenage girl or the man sustained life-threatening injuries, they are deeply disturbed by the incident.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he has trouble sleeping and has mental health issues since the attack. 

Recalling the incident which occurred on Saturday, July 20, he said: “It was around mid-afternoon. I was standing outside when I felt this big whack hit the side of my head.

“I wasn’t too sure what it was. Initially I thought it was a stone but looked around and couldn’t see anything. Then the pain become throbbing and it felt like someone had given me a good whack.

“I put my hand against my head and it was covered in blood. The blood started to run down the side of my head and face.”

Dazed and confused, the man was helped by bystanders who and gave him medical attention. 

“When I was being treated, a few people started telling me that they had seen men shooting pellets in the direction of children and visitors.

“I was left confused. I couldn’t understand why anyone would do something like that and I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t seen a pellet on the ground after I’d been hit.”

A few days after the attack the man began to experience headaches. Initially thinking he was still in shock, the headaches persisted, causing him to wake in the middle of the night.

“I’m still not over the attack now if I’m honest but I knew something wasn’t right,” he said.

“The headaches wouldn’t go away and there were nights that I couldn’t sleep. I rang my doctor and explained to him that I wasn’t sleeping – that no pills were working. He advised me to go to the urgent care unit at the Downe Hospital.”

After observing the man’s injury, doctors found that the pellet was embedded under his skin. 

“I was in shock when they found the pellet,” the man continued. “I was lucky I was standing the way I was because if I’d moved at all the pellet could have hit my eye, or the front of my head.

“The doctors stapled my head but I still had headaches. I rang my doctor to tell them that the headaches were still there but they said that this can happen when a foreign body embeds itself in your skin.

“I only feel that I’m starting to feel better now and accept the situation,” the man added.

“My workplace has a mental health nurse, and I am going to speak to her because I found the whole situation very disturbing and it’s knocked my confidence.

“I’m just thankful more people weren’t harmed and that my injuries weren’t anymore severe than they could have been.”

At the time of the shooting there were around 30 people playing bowls at the club. 

 Multiple eyewitnesses have said the shooting was intentional and that the perpetrators knew what they were doing.

Two eyewitnesses, who also wish to remain anonymous told the Recorder that when the men were spotted, they stopped shooting and closed the window.

However, shortly after the men reappeared at the window but did not start shooting again.

“You could see both of them but they were hard to make out,” one witness said.

“They knew what they were doing. They caused so much panic and worry yet continued to shoot in the direction where children were playing and people were having a good time.”

Another witness said he saw two men leave the housing estate with a large box that looked similar to a snooker case and walk towards the Ardglass Road.

Police have launched an investigation into the attack.

A PSNI spokesperson said two men aged 22 and 18 were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances.

The men were both released on police bail to allow for further inquiries.

Anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1053 20/07/24.

A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport.