Inniscarra native Dave Óg Coleman is one of the many Liverpool FC fans from Cork who have returned home following the shocking events in Liverpool city centre on Monday evening as the Premier League winning squad took part in a victory parade.
Mr Coleman attended the match at Anfield on Sunday, and was among the thousands of jubilant supporters who flocked to the city centre for the victory celebration the next day.
Speaking to The Echo, he described the mood in the city on Tuesday as on edge, after the incident where a driver ploughed into supporters lining the victory route.
Liverpool fan David Óg Coleman from Inniscarra, Co Cork.
“There was a fair amount of police around yesterday \[Tuesday\] morning as well,” said Mr Coleman.
“A lot of trains and things were delayed. I think they were cautious about people getting on. They were doing checks going through the barriers at the train station rather than just letting people in. I think they were just worried that something else might happen.
“There was a lot more police involved yesterday morning when we got the train. You could tell something was a bit different.”
Vibe had changed
Reflecting on the events of Monday, Mr Coleman said: "You could tell that the vibe had changed around the city and that something had gone wrong.
“You couldn’t put your finger on it, I thought first it was just the weather had taken a bad turn.
“At around 6pm, we were out the other side of the city, but you sensed something had changed. There was a load of sirens going around the place. You could notice people were walking out from the city centre to where we were.”
A 53-year-old man, from the West Derby area of Liverpool, remained in custody yesterday after officers were granted further time to question him on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving, and drug-driving, Merseyside Police said.
A police spokesperson said seven people remained in hospital in a stable condition after the collision on Water St on Monday, while they had identified 79 people who were injured in the incident.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said the number of people in hospital is reducing “as they continue to recover from the awful incident”.
Support
“We continue to support those still receiving treatment and as part of our ongoing inquiries, we are identifying more people who were injured,” she said.
“An extensive investigation into the precise circumstances of the incident is ongoing, and we continue to ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident, and refrain from sharing distressing content online.
“We have already had an incredible response from many of those who were there on the day, and I thank them for their co-operation with our investigation.
“I would encourage anyone who has not yet contacted police who may have information on this incident to do so.”
Police believe the car which struck pedestrians was able to follow an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering a heart attack at the parade after a road block was temporarily lifted.