Gardai resume questioning a man in connection with shooting in North Cork

Two dogs and six horses were shot dead at two farms

The 32 year old man was arrested around 1pm yesterday at a house in Meelin following a major Garda operation.

It's understood the man turned up at his uncle-in-law's farm in Newmarket at around 2am in an intoxicated state looking to speak to his cousin but was told him he wasn't there.

About an hour later, the farmer, a man in his 70s, was awoken by the sound of gunshots and went out to discover that his dog had been shot dead and he notified gardai in Kanturk immediately.

The armed Regional Support Unit from Cork was requested and a major search got underway. The car was found crashed near a house at Knockacummer in Meelin.

A legally held shotgun was recovered and the man surrendered to the armed officers and he was taken into garda custody.

Meanwhile officers went to another farm owned by the man's uncle-in-law in Newmarket where they found another dog, five horses and a foal had been shot dead with a rifle. 

They have since recovered a legally held weapon and ammunition at the back of a shed in the Newmarket area.

A garda technical team carried out a forensic examination at the two scenes where the animals were shot and both the shotgun and rifle have been sent for ballistics examination.
 

More from Cork