Hours of negotiation led to gunman's surrender

Two Garda negotiators were on the phone for hours before his surrender to the former businessman who was involved in a tense ten-hour stand-off with Gardaí at Cullion on Friday evening.Retired businessman Martin Hynes, was at the centre of the drama which unfolded at around 7.30 p.m. on Friday. Throughout the course of the night, trained Garda negotiators spoke to Mr. Hynes, until he agreed to surrender his weapons and give up the siege.The incident had begun when Gardai from Mullingar, acting on information received, called to Mr. Hynes's house on the Old Longford Road, about 400 metres from Cullion Hurling Club.Shortly after arriving at the scene in a marked patrol car, the occupants, the two uniformed occupants, a male and female, were terrified when, without warning two shots were fired in their direction.At least one of the bullets struck the vehicle, a Ford Focus, penetrating the bonnet and lodging in the engine compartment.The driver immediately withdrew from the immediate area and alerted colleagues in at the station in Mullingar.A short time later, armed detectives arrived at the scene and immediately sealed off the area. Working under the direction of Supt.John Gantley, officers were despatched to other dwellings in the area to advise the owners that they would have to vacate their homes for the night.Out of concern for the welfare of the public, Gardai also called to the nearby Cullion Community Centre where a Mass for deceased members was due to be held. They asked that the Mass be deferred to a later date and, in the interests of safety, people filed out of the Centre in an orderly fashion and dispersed to their homes.Amid concerns for Mr. Martin's welfare, Gardai elected to call in members of the Emergency Response Unit, who have trained negotiators on board, and they were on the scene within two hours, backed up by members of the Regional Armed Support Unit.A line of communication was quickly established, with Mr. Hynes, and according to a Garda source, there was an openness on his part to speak with the negotiators.Over the course of the next two hours, a number of family members came to the scene and while they spoke with Garda officers, it is not clear whether they spoke with Mr. Hynes directly.As the stand-off progressed into the early hours, there were further concerns for the man's welfare as he fired a number of further shots, though it is not believed they were directed at Gardai.Mr. Hynes, who along with his wife, Jean, ran a highly successful newsagents on the Longford Road, adjacent to the Midland Regional Hospital, up until about eight years ago, continued to engage with Gardai throughout the course of a bitterly cold, November night.There was palpable relief when, shortly after 5am, Mr. Hynes indicated he wished to surrender his .22 rifle and Gardai took possession of the weapon which was taken away for technical examination.Another hour elapsed before Martin emerged from the house where he was immediately arrested under Section 30 of the Offences the State Act. He was taken into custody and conveyed to Mullingar Garda Station.According to Garda sources, Mr. Hynes was medically examined over a period of hours. Early on Saturday afternoon, he was transferred from Garda custody to a medical institution, where he is receiving further medical assistance.This week, as people in Mullingar, and particularly the closely knit community of Cullion, tried to come to terms with the drama which unfolded on their doorstep, tributes were paid to the professionalism of the Gardai in the manner in which they dealt with the situation and in securing a peaceful resolution of the incident.