A witness told Belfast Crown Court he advised a wounded man to "pretend to be dead" moments before the man was fatally shot during Bloody Sunday. Malachy Coyle said he saw a soldier who appeared "angry" firing towards a young person attempting to flee.
Soldier F, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney during the 1972 incident. He also faces charges of attempting to murder Michael Quinn, Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and an unknown person.
The charges relate to events on 30th January 1972, when 13 people were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment during a civil rights demonstration in the Bogside area of Londonderry. Soldier F's non-jury trial began in Belfast last month, with the defendant sitting behind a curtain in the courtroom.
Teenage witness account
Coyle, who was 15 during the civil rights march, described being affected by CS gas and moving towards Glenfada Park North where he heard gunfire. He told the court: "It was high-velocity shots. It was a high crack, it wasn't like a shotgun you see in a film, it was a high-pitched crack."
The witness said he was pulled into a back yard by an older man and could see soldiers through garden fence slats. Coyle observed three people lying on the ground, with the closest man still alive and saying: "I can't move my legs."
Coyle told the wounded man not to move and to pretend he was dead. He then heard another shot and saw the man's head go down, telling the court: "He was shot, I could see the sparks underneath on the pavement. He was gone."
Soldier's threatening behaviour
The witness described seeing a bare-headed soldier who looked "dangerous" and "angry" confronting young men in Glenfada Park. According to Coyle's testimony, the soldier said: "I am going to shoot you you Irish bastards."
Coyle and the older man emerged from behind the fence with hands on their heads, fearing they would be shot. The witness said he saw the "angry" soldier shoot towards a young man attempting to run away, adding: "I know there was no body found there, but that is what I saw."
Crown barrister Louis Mably KC indicated the prosecution expects to conclude its case next week. The trial will resume on Monday.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
