Coroner Finds Army Soldiers Responsible For 1972 Deaths
A coroner ruled that two British soldiers used unreasonable force when they fatally shot five people in Belfast in 1972. The ruling stated the soldiers overreacted and lost control, though it rejected claims that no civilians fired shots. Harry Gargan, the brother of Margaret, stated that reaching the truth has been a long journey. The incident occurred more than 50 years ago. Harry Gargan, brother of Margaret, stated that the verdict of unjust killing will not end decades of grief. A coroner examining the 1972 fatal shootings of five people by soldiers in West Belfast found that the army overreacted to a perceived threat and lost control. Justice Francisco Phil stated that the force used in all five killings was excessive. The incident occurred in the south of the country, according to the report. One soldier was killed and another was wounded in the area during the event.
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Sources · 7 independent
“The coroner has ruled that two British soldiers did not use a reasonable force when they fatally shot five people in Belfast more than 50 years ago.”
“A coroner examining the fatal shootings of five people by soldiers in West Belfast in 1972 has found that the army overreacted to a perceived threat and lost control.”
“The coroner, Mr Justice Schofield, said the army was on high alert after an IRA ceasefire ended and there was some sporadic shooting at their base. He found that soldiers overreacted to a perceived threat and lost control.”
“They were unarmed and innocent. They included 13-year-old Margaret Gorgan and David McCafferty. The coroner said he couldn't conclude if 16-year-old John Doogle had been armed or not, but he said it was likely he'd been running away when he was shot in the back.”
“Two British Army soldiers lost control when used force but was not reasonable when they opened fire and shot dead five people in Northern Ireland in 1972.”
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