Simon Delaney has opened up about the the terrifying morning a gangland shooting took place just 200 yards from his home.
The TV3 presenter was up feeding his one month old baby last July when his usually quiet estate became a crime scene, as gunmen attempted to murder a man nearby.
“When you see something like that on the news, there’s always a neighbour in shock saying ‘this sort of stuff never happens here’ but that’s just how it was for me.” he told the Irish Sun.
“Because sitting in my kitchen, I can look out and see the house where it happened and you think ‘what if my kids had gotten in the way of what happened’.
“Or if we had met the getaway car leaving the scene. It was a summer morning 9am, my boys were asleep in bed but they could have been playing out on the road.”
The incident resulted in one man being shot five times and he miraculously recovered from his severe injuries.
After his sister told him about the shooting, the actor went outside to talk to a neighbour, but was shocked to see how close the shooting was to his house.
“I remember thinking ‘Holy Jesus’ because about 200 yards down the road. I could see the crime scene with gardai everywhere.” he said.
“Then the media started turning up, and soon there was guys hanging out of trees taking pictures.”
Simon saw some of his TV3 co-workers turn up to film the scene for the evening news and he insisted on inviting them in for a break.
“There was Michael and John the camera man kicking their heels up the street, come on up to the house lads, so they came in and I cooked them lunch. You wouldn’t leave TV3 outside the door.” he said.
