Final moments of Carthy recalled

The Barr tribunal: Mr John Carthy continued to walk towards the village of Abbeylara carrying his loaded shotgun even after he had been shot three times by gardaí, the Barr tribunal has heard.

Mr Carthy did not stop walking until he was shot in the back for a fourth time, Det Sgt Gerard Russell, tactical commander of the Emergency Response Unit, said.

Det Sgt Russell told the tribunal he was the last person John Carthy saw before he fell backwards after being shot dead by members of the ERU.

He described how he was alerted that Mr Carthy had emerged from the old house next door carrying a gun. As he heard his colleagues calling Mr Carthy to put down the gun, Det Sgt Russell ran from the house and took position, standing on the boundary wall of the property facing the road.

He could see Mr Carthy walking up the road towards Abbeylara village when he heard the first shot. "I heard a shot. I wasn't sure if it hit him. Then I heard a second shot. I expected his firearm to drop, but that didn't happen. I heard a third shot and the weapon was still in his hands and he was still moving."

Det Sgt Russell said he did not know if any of the first three shots had hit Mr Carthy because he did not react until the fourth and final shot hit him and he fell to the ground.

"At the fourth shot he almost paused and turned in my direction. This was the first good look at his face I got. I saw him groan and I knew that shot hit him.

"It seemed like slow motion. He fell backwards almost facing me. I was the last person he saw."

When asked if Mr Carthy bent over or crouched down at any time during his shooting, Det Sgt Russell replied that he remained upright. There had been approximately one second between each shot he said.

Earlier, Det Sgt Russell told the tribunal he was "unhappy" members of the media were brought to the scene while Mr Carthy was still holed up. Det Sgt Russell said that some time after 10 a.m. the scene commander, Supt Joseph Shelly, suggested bringing the media to the area because he was concerned they might try to approach through the fields at the back of the Carthy house.

Det Sgt Russell said he expressed his concerns but agreed to put them aside, "in the best interest of the situation".