A man who went on a shooting rampage with a high-powered rifle in a rural Irish town has been jailed for a total of eight years.
Gardai feared for their lives as bullets missed them by inches after drug and drink-fuelled deer hunter Stephen Dowling went berserk.
The 25-year-old fired up to nine shots during the hour-long incident in Glenties, Co Donegal, in the early hours of February 22, 2020.
Witnesses described the night as like something from the “Wild West”.
Terrified people ran for cover as the welder marched through the town “like a soldier” shooting at cops, civilians, buildings and cars.
Gardai told Letterkenny Circuit Court it was a miracle nobody was seriously injured or killed.
Sentencing father-of-one Dowling, Judge John Aylmer said one of the most aggravating factors was that Dowling used a licensed firearm to carry out his rampage.
He added that thankfully such incidents are “quite unique” in this country compared to other places where licences are easier to obtain.
The judge said: “One of the most aggravating features is that he brought cocaine with him while being in control and a licensee of a very high-powered hunting rifle.
“People who are licensed by the State to carry such weapons undertake a very high burden of responsibility. The vast majority are careful and responsible and incidents such as this are extremely rare.
“The accused demonstrated gross irresponsibility in allowing himself to become so intoxicated. He was completely out of control of himself and of his mind.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to five charges of criminal damage and six counts of having possession of a weapon, including a rifle and a hunting knife, with intent to endanger life or cause damage to property.
Dowling, of Burren Road, Carlow, was visiting Glenties with a cousin and uncle shooting deer after seeing an advert by a farmer culling deer on his land.
After a day during which Dowling shot his first red deer, the men visited several pubs in the town, including Sonny’s Bar, Leo’s Bar, Roddy’s Bar and the Highlands Hotel.
The men drank several pints of beer and whiskey and Dowling also admitted to taking half a gram of cocaine which he bought for €100 in his native Carlow.
The court heard the accused became increasingly agitated and had words with customers as well as barmen in a number of the pubs.
He was refused service in the Highlands Hotel because he was aggressive despite claims that he was staying there as a guest. The men returned to Marguerite’s Bed and Breakfast where they were staying around midnight.
However, Dowling, who was in a room of his own, got changed into his hunting clothing and recovered his high-powered Tikka 3X rifle from his car. He then proceeded to go on the rampage in the town, letting off up to seven shots.
The court heard how, despite being intoxicated earlier, Dowling stood up and marched like a soldier through the town while brandishing the rifle.
At one stage he got into the car of an employee of a local pizzeria, TJ Kalsi, and was waving his rifle but then got out. He then shot into the back windscreen of Mr Kalsi’s red BMW with the bullet shattering when it hit his passenger seat headrest, whizzing past his head and exiting the windscreen.
Mr Kalsi then tracked Dowling’s movements around the town.
Local man Edward Gallagher also got caught up in the crossfire and contacted gardai with the call being replayed in evidence.
Shots can be heard as a nervous Mr Gallagher reports Dowling’s movements with the Garda operator warning Mr Gallagher not to follow the shooter. He replied: “Trust me, I won’t be following him.”
The court was told the nearest armed Garda unit was an hour away based in Milford and had been contacted.
Before that, a number of local uniformed and unarmed gardai had gone to the town’s Main Street in a bid to assess the situation.
They devised a plan that one Garda car would come behind Dowling and another lead him out of the town and away from people.
Other officers were diverting traffic away from the area including a busload of teenagers who had attended a disco in Killybegs and were returning to Glenties.
As this was happening armed detectives Enda Jennings and Darren Carter were racing to the scene to confront the shooter.
When they arrived they took cover behind their unmarked patrol car and a marked patrol car.
At one stage Dowling crouched down behind a pillar and shot off two rounds, one hitting the windscreen of the patrol car and another hitting the front grill, narrowing missing gardai.
Dowling disappeared into a garden and Det Jennings, who is trained in weapons use, realised the shooter was not using a shotgun but an even more dangerous rifle which could kill at distance.
He managed to get onto higher ground and saw Dowling rummaging through his pockets looking for more ammunition.
He then revealed how Dowling suddenly put his hands in the air with his rifle over his shoulder as Det Carter approached him.
Det Jennings tracked him from behind with both officers ordering him to get down on his knees.
Det Jennings said: “I knew I was up against it and he was a man with a superior firearm. I was outgunned, the odds were stacked against me.
“But I had to do my duty to protect the public and my unarmed colleagues. I was sure I would never see my family again and I thought of the suffering and hardship they would have.”
He added he could see “the madness” in the eyes of the shooter.
The officers finally overpowered Dowling who was arrested but claimed it was another man in the area who was shooting, sending gardai into further fear for their lives.
However, Det Jennings said he bore no ill will towards the defendant.
He added: “I spent many days in the company of Stephen Dowling during the investigative process and I understand this was an act of lunacy whilst intoxicated which I believe is uncharacteristic of the man... I wish to have it noted I bear no ill will towards the man and I wish him and his family well into the future.”
Gardai brought Dowling to Ballyshannon Garda station where an incident room was set up.
Initially, officers said they thought he had a bomb because he had a “sound moderator” strapped to his stomach.
Evidence was also given of how Dowling shot at three houses during the rampage.
One family were standing outside their home listening to the commotion when they heard a gunshot and decided to go back inside. The next morning they found a gunshot hole in the front of their property.
Another couple had been out socialising with family. When they returned they discovered their windows had been shot through and the bullets had penetrated walls and gone through a bathroom mirror.
All gardai gave victim impact statements describing the night of carnage.
Many revealed they had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, had to take several weeks off work and were still dealing with the events of that night.
Taking to the witness stand, Dowling apologised to all the victims and said he never intended for anything to happen.
Judge Aylmer said that taking into account all the aggravating factors, the charges merited an initial sentence of 14 years in prison.
However, he added mitigating circumstances in Dowling’s favour included he had no previous convictions, offered an early plea and was very apologetic for his actions to the public and gardai. He reduced the overall sentence to one of eight years.
