Gunman knew woman he shot in Balla shop

IN SHOCK Locals in the normally sleepy village of Balla were shocked at the early evening shooting in the local Costcutter supermarket, which lies on the bottom of Main Street, in the direction of Castlebar.

Gunman knew woman he shot in Balla shop


Michael Duffy

A small village just four miles from Castlebar was yesterday evening the scene of a violent shooting which left a woman in her 50s with serious leg injuries.
The drama erupted in Balla shortly after 6.30pm on Tuesday evening when a man, known to locals, walked into the Costcutter Supermarket on the outskirts of the village, carrying a full-length firearm.
He proceeded to approach the counter of the supermarket and fire what is now believed to be two shots at a woman who worked in the store. She has been named locally as Dympna Walsh, a mother of four grown sons.
The man then dropped the weapon and fled the scene on foot, before making his escape in a car that was parked some distance from the supermarket.
Ms Walsh lay in some distress on the floor of the supermarket for some time before an ambulance arrived to take her to Mayo General Hospital. During that time, she a customer in the shop helped Ms Walsh to the best of her ability. Ms Walsh’s condition is today described as serious but not life threatening.
Gardaí from Castlebar immediately launched a man hunt in surrounding areas and shortly after 8pm they arrested a man in a rural public house roughly three miles from the scene of the shooting. The man is still being detained in Castlebar Garda Station for questioning.
Locals in the Balla area have confirmed to The Mayo News that the man is well known locally and is employed as a barber in Claremorris town. They also confirmed that the injured party and the man are known to each other.
“From the outside looking in, this may look like a botched robbery, but all the locals know that the man who carried out the shooting is well-known to Ms Walsh. Dympna has worked  in Castlebar and Balla for many years. All the locals wish her a speedy recovery from what must have been an awful ordeal,” said one local.
The Costcutter shop where the shooting took place is owned by Mr Peter Gaughan, It was renovated last year and now also houses the local post office.
Local Fine Gael councillor Cyril Burke said the incident must have been a ‘horrific experience’ for the injured party and her co-worker.
“Locals were shocked to hear of a shooting on a normal evening when people from the area were just returning home from work. The injured woman is well known to everyone in the area and we all hope she can make a full recovery from her serious injuries,” said Cllr Burke.
Local Superintendent Garda Peter O’Boyle said gardaí are continuing to question the man who was arrested yesterday evening and he again appealed for witnesses with any information to contact Castlebar Garda Station on 094 9038200.

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