{"id":114600,"date":"2025-05-19T14:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/114600\/"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:56:13","slug":"bangor-shots-fired-in-co-down-town-discharged-by-psni-officers-as-veteran-detained-in-major-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/114600\/","title":{"rendered":"Bangor: Shots fired in Co Down town discharged by PSNI officers as \u2018veteran\u2019 detained in major incident"},"content":{"rendered":"

An MLA has said PSNI officers fired \u2018warning shots\u2019 which was the \u2018appropriate thing to do\u2019\n<\/p>\n

Police have been praised for their work in detaining a man following the incident which took place on Sunday evening. <\/p>\n

Videos posted to social media show armed response officers approach a male with guns drawn.<\/p>\n

The specialist officers can be heard shouting to a male in a shop doorway to drop a \u201cgun\u201d. <\/p>\n

In one of the videos the man appeared to identify himself as a veteran.<\/p>\n

Several residents reported hearing shots and loud bangs.<\/p>\n

It is understood that any shots fired were from tactical officers, and no injuries were sustained as a result of this. <\/p>\n

Independent MP Alex Easton said it was a \u201chuge relief that no-one was harmed\u201d and commended the PSNI for \u201ctheir swift and professional response\u201d. <\/p>\n

“The restraint and composure shown by police officers in such a dangerous and unpredictable situation is to be highly praised,\u201d said Mr Easton.<\/p>\n

“Thanks to their actions, the individual involved was safely detained without injury, and I am grateful to all those in the emergency services who helped ensure public safety.\u201d <\/p>\n

The North Down representative added that the situation \u201chighlights the urgent need\u201d for improved mental health services \u201cparticularly for those who have served our country and may be struggling with invisible wounds.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Firearms<\/p>\n

Firearms teams and forensics at the scene of a firearms incident in the High Street area of Bangor with inset ion May 18th 2025 (Photos by Kevin Scott)<\/p>\n

Forensic teams deal with major firearms incident in Bangor <\/p>\n

Mr Easton added: \u201cWe must do more to ensure that individuals in crisis receive the support and intervention they need before situations escalate to this level.<\/p>\n

“I will be seeking further information on this incident and engaging with relevant agencies to explore what more can be done to support mental health provision, especially for our veterans.<\/p>\n

Mr Easton thanked the public for their cooperation adding: \u201cBangor is a resilient and supportive community, and I know we will rally around those affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thoughts remain with everyone impacted by today\u2019s events, and I will continue to monitor developments closely.”<\/p>\n

Alliance MLA Connie Egan told Radio Ulster: \u201cMy understanding is the shots fired were PSNI warning shots, which is the appropriate thing to do in that situation. There was nobody injured by any gunshots last night, which I think we can all be relieved about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around 25 heavily armed officers were at the scene of the incident.<\/p>\n

Some members of the public were evacuated from nearby buildings by police officers who had pistols drawn.<\/p>\n

\"Forensic<\/p>\n

Forensic teams at the scene of a firearms incident in the High Street area of Bangor on May 18th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott)<\/p>\n

North Down MLA Stephen Dunne also praised the PSNI response but urged the public not to share videos of the incident online. <\/p>\n

Mr Dunne said: \u201cI know this incident will have caused alarm for many in the area, and I urge the public to allow the police the time and space to carry out a full investigation. It is vital that we support our police service as they work to keep our communities safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would urge anyone circulating videos of this incident online to cease doing so given that they are likely to contain images of a vulnerable individual.<\/p>\n

“I have received assurances that there were no injuries related to the incident, and whilst one individual was detained, they then received care from the Ambulance Service.\u201d <\/p>\n

The DUP MLA added that his thoughts were with those affected and adding that he was working ensure support was made available to those who need it. <\/p>\n

UUP Councillor for Ards Peninsula Pete Wray confirmed that the armed male was detained and was then attended to by the Ambulance Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cMale has been detained and the area is safe,\u201d Mr Wray said. \u201cIt’s been a challenging weekend for the PSNI in Ards and North Down, and I thank them for their service as always.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Egan, an MLA for North Down, added that it is not \u201cappropriate\u201d to share videos currently circulating on social media. <\/p>\n

“Last night was an incredibly concerning incident,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of people have seen (the videos) and are very distressed by them. They\u2019re not an easy watch.<\/p>\n

\"Forensic<\/p>\n

Forensic teams at the scene of a firearms incident in the High Street area of Bangor on May 18th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott)<\/p>\n

“Nobody wants to see guns on our streets or incidents like this. It was an incredibly difficult situation. I thank the PSNI for how they\u2019ve handled this. Ultimately the situation was diffused and there were no injuries to any member of the public. However, lots of people will be very anxious and concerned about this.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s an incredibly delicate situation in which the police have to balance the safety of the public with the safety of the individual involved while also the potential of firearms involved.<\/p>\n

“Lots of people were very anxious about what was unfolding and were extremely concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police cordons remain in place as officers carry out investigative enquiries, and the public has been asked to continue to avoid the area until further guidance is issued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An MLA has said PSNI officers fired \u2018warning shots\u2019 which was the \u2018appropriate thing to do\u2019 Police have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[1384,1144,1610,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-114600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-down-news","9":"tag-northern-ireland","10":"tag-police-service-of-northern-ireland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114535084820353855","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}