Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda SÃochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. McCabe was killed in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the attempted robbery of a post office an operation which had been unauthorised by the IRA army council.[1]
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Det. Garda McCabe was born in Ballylongford, County Kerry on 22 Novermber, 1943.[2]. He was married to Anne, herself the daughter of a Garda. The couple lived in Limerick and had five children, John, Mark, Ian, Stacey, and Desmond, known as Ross. As of 2008, both John and Ross were serving members of An Garda SÃochána.[3]
The two detectives were escorting an An Post van at 6:50 am on the morning of 6 June 1996 when Detective Garda Ben O'Sullivan noticed a Pajero heading towards them from behind. The car collided with them. Two men wearing balaclavas jumped out of the Pajero, and fired fourteen rounds from an AK-47 at the detectives. Three rounds hit Jerry McCabe, killing him. His colleague, O'Sullivan was seriously injured. They were fired in two bursts, with a pause between. O’Sullivan, who was driving the car, has said that he is convinced it was deliberate, controlled shooting.[4]
Shortly after the shooting, a Mitsubishi Lancer arrived and the would-be robbers made their getaway in it. No money had been stolen by them, but both vehicles used at the crime scene had been stolen.
The Gardaà had been armed with .38 Smith & Wesson revolvers and an Uzi, but the trial concluded that they had not had time to use them.
Bullet casings found at the scene were unique to the IRA in Ireland at the time.[5][6]
Up to 40,000 people lined the streets of Limerick city for Jerry McCabe's funeral.[7]
The killing of Detective McCabe happened four months after the
breakdown of the first IRA ceasefire in 1996. The Army Council
of the IRA initially denied involvement, but later admitted that
individual members were involved "in contravention of its
orders".[8]
Initially, the killing was denounced by the leadership of Sinn Féin, but later
the party lobbied for the early release of McCabe's killers under
the terms of the Belfast Agreement.[8]
In 2005, the prisoners stated that they did not want their release
"to be part of any further negotiations with the Irish
government."[9]
Pearse McCauley from Strabane and three County Limerick men - Jeremiah Sheehy, Michael O’Neill and Kevin Walsh - were convicted by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of manslaughter. McCauley had escaped from Brixton Prison in 1991 while awaiting prosecution over an IRA campaign in England and had jumped bail in the Republic of Ireland two months before the shooting.[6] O'Neill was released from prison on 15 May, 2007[10] with Sheehy released on 4 February, 2008.[11] Walshe and McCauley were released on the 5th August 2009 after completing their full sentence. Sinn Fein had campaigned for their release under the Good Friday Agreement despite the Irish Governments insistence that these prisoners were excluded during the negotiations for the treaty.[12][13] The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland accused the Irish government of "double standards" by not granting those responsible for the killing early release, as part of the Good Friday Agreement.[14]
McCabe's widow Anne has been praised for the way she conducted herself since the shooting.[15] In New York in 2006, she challenged Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams as to why his organisation was calling for the release of the men convicted of the killing.[16] In 2000 she was presented with a Gold Scott Medal. The Scott Medal is the highest honour bestowed by the Republic of Ireland on a Garda who has shown exceptional courage and heroism risking their lives in their work as police officers.[17]
An academic exchange programme in honour of the slain detective was established in 1996 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, USA. The purpose of the exchange is to promote the sharing of practices and technologies in policing and criminal justice between Ireland and the United States.[18] McCabe's son John was the first recipient of the fellowship in 1997.[19]
   | A Guardian report on the trial - IRA fugitive 'killer police officer' in bungled raid | Politics | The Guardian |
| | News item on trial of killers - Irish News, January 12, 1999 |
| | BBC - BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | IRA garda killer freed from jail |
| | Adams confirms release 'deal' - BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Adams confirms release 'deal' |
| | BBC - BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | McCabe killer due to leave prison |
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