Irish officer slain at scene of domestic dispute; suspected shooter kills self, wounds partner

DUBLIN – Irish police say one of their officers has been fatally shot as they tried to stop a man from shooting his partner in their home.

The Garda Siochana national police force says the officer died at the scene Sunday while the 24-year-old man who shot him also fatally shot himself and wounded his female partner, who had telephoned police in fear for her life. She was hospitalized in critical condition.

Police withheld the names of all three people pending notification of relatives.

The shooting in the village of Omeath, on the border with Northern Ireland, is a relative rarity in the Republic of Ireland. Most Irish police carry no firearms. The previous fatal shootings of police happened during a bank robbery in 2013 and in a friendly-fire accident in 2001.