A man and his two sons tragically died on October 26 following what is believed to have been a murder-suicide outside of Kanturk in West Cork.
Two postmortems have been completed and another is set to take place tomorrow after a father and his two sons were discovered dead on their farm in Castlemagner outside of Kanturk, Co Cork on October 26.
The three deceased men, though not formally identified by gardai as of yet, have been named as Tadhg O’Sullivan (59) and his two sons, Mark (26) and Diarmaid (23).
Gardai said in a statement on Tuesday, the day after the tragedy: "The post mortem on two of the deceased men has been completed.
"The third post mortem is scheduled to take place tomorrow, October 28, 2020, at approximately 11 am.
"A formal identification of the three men will follow thereafter.
"No further details are available at this time.
The statement added: "Contrary to some reports in the media, there had been no Garda interaction with the deceased men, or their family, prior to the tragic events of October 26, 2020."
On Monday, An Garda Síochána outlined its response to the tragic events in a statement: “At approximately 6:30 am today, Monday 26 October 2020, Gardaí in Kanturk were alerted to a Critical Firearms incidents at Assolas, Kanturk, Co. Cork.
“A short time earlier, a female in her 60s alerted neighbours that firearms had been discharged at her home. Gardai were informed that three males were present in the house and that one male may have suffered from gunshot wounds.
“Gardaí from Kanturk responded to the scene arriving shortly afterward and were informed that further gunshots had been heard locally. Immediately An Garda Siochana initiated its Critical Firearms incident response. The scene of the incident, a family home, was contained by local uniform and plainclothes Gardaí supported by Armed Support Unit.
“An Operational Commander was assigned to control the incident supported by Emergency Response Unit, Armed Support Unit, National Negotiator Unit, Technical Support Unit (Garda Headquarters), Southern Region Dog Unit and Air Support Unit.
“Additional support was provide by the HSE National Ambulance Service.
“Throughout the morning, Garda negotiators attempted to make contact with any persons in the house.
“After 1 pm, members of the Emergency Response Unit approached the house and the body of a male in his 20s with a gunshot wound was discovered in a bedroom of the house. No other persons were present in the house.
“The Garda Air Support Unit helicopter commenced an aerial search of the adjoining lands. At approximately 1:40 pm two further bodies, a male in his late 50s and a male in his 20s were discovered in adjoining lands. Preliminary indications indicate both bodies have gunshot wounds.
“The Garda Critical Incident response has been stood down.
“Both locations have been declared as crime scenes and An Garda Síochána has commenced a full investigation into all the circumstances of the incident under the direction of a Senior Investigating Officer. The State pathologist and the Garda Technical Bureau have been contacted and are on the way to both scenes.
“A family liaison officer has been appointed and an incident room has been established in Kanturk."
The statement noted that while An Garda Siochana is not looking for anyone in connection to the incident, they are appealing to anyone who may have information relating to the investigation to contact Mallow Garda Station.
Later on Monday, Garda Superintendent Adrian Gamble of Cork North Division said: “I can confirm that all three deceased men are from the same family.”
Gamble added that the family requested “strict privacy at this very tragic time.”
Garda Supt Adrian Gamble of Cork North Division appeals for anyone with information regarding today’s shooting incident in Kanturk, Co Cork to contact gardaí | More: https://t.co/mFkX9AsUkS pic.twitter.com/i015XCEhl9
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 26, 2020
After the tragic event, local councillor John Paul O’Shea said on Twitter: “There is a strong and determined community spirit in Castlemagner and the community there I know will rally around their families, neighbours, and friends over the coming days as they deal with this tragic loss.
1/3 Everyone is deeply saddened and shocked the tragedy that happened yesterday in Castlemagner.
My thoughts go out to the O'Sullivan family and to the wider community of Castlemagner and Kanturk as they come to terms with this unimaginable loss. pic.twitter.com/V4B9HrRcvx
— Cllr. John Paul O'Shea (@johnpauloshea1) October 27, 2020
“There are supports out there for you so please use them. It is important that if we need to talk to someone, that you have the appropriate numbers," O'Shea wrote, adding "Mind yourself."
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