MICHAEL DWYER, the Tipperary man who was shot dead by police in Bolivia, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, an initial postmortem examination has indicated.
The body of the 24-year-old was so badly decomposed that his identity had to be confirmed using dental records.
The poor state of the body has thrown into doubt the ability of the postmortem to clarify many issues, including if there was any gunshot residue on his hands. The presence or absence of gun residue would have helped to establish whether Mr Dwyer had fired a gun before he died.
Staff at the hotel last week told The Irish Times that the only bullet holes were in the dead men’s bedrooms, suggesting no shots were fired by the men from the rooms.
Mr Dwyer’s body arrived in Ireland from Santa Cruz on Thursday and State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy carried out the postmortem yesterday morning.
The postmortem here took place at the request of Mr Dwyer’s family. An inquest into his killing will be conducted before the Dublin County Coroner’s Court. It is understood there was no examination of the body by the authorities in Bolivia.
Sources said only initial results from the postmortem were available last night. The results will be vital in determining the truth about his killing. The Bolivian authorities have said he was shot dead, along with two others, in a Santa Cruz hotel in the early hours of last Thursday week after a gunfight with Bolivian police.
However, pictures of his body in the bedroom of the hotel showed Mr Dwyer was in his underwear, suggesting he may have been in bed at the time. It is hoped a further analysis of the results may determine if Mr Dwyer was lying down, in bed, when shot.
Authorities in Bolivia have alleged that Mr Dwyer and Eduardo Rózsa Flores, a Bolivian adventurer of Hungarian descent, and Arpad Magyarosi, a Romanian of Hungarian ethnicity, were involved in an international plot to assassinate President Evo Morales.
Mr Dwyer’s family and friends have dismissed suggestions he was involved in terrorism, saying he was not interested in politics. The Government has called for an international investigation into the circumstances around the fatal shooting. Diplomatic sources have confirmed that discussions have taken place between Irish and Hungarian officials.