A witness told the Bloody Sunday inquiry yesterday that he saw a paratrooper gun down an unarmed civilian who was walking with his hands raised above his head towards a wounded man.
Mr Thomas McGlinchey, who was a 17-year-old student on January 30th, 1972, told the inquiry yesterday that the man he saw being shot could have been father-of-eight Mr Gerald McKinney, (35), who was shot in the Colmcille Court area of the Bogside when paratroopers were deployed into the area during an anti-internment march.
Mr McGlinchey said he witnessed the shooting from a house he'd taken cover in. The victim, he said, was shot in the chest or stomach by a paratrooper who fired two shots at him.
"The soldier had a blackened face and wore a helmet, although I cannot recall whether the helmet had a visor or not," he said. "I then looked to my right and saw a man walking towards a man's body which was lying on the ground. The man approached the body of the man with his hands straight up in the air looking towards the soldier so as to signify to the soldier that he posed no threat. He had nothing in his hands.
"The man with his hands up appeared to me as if he was about to tend the man, but as he bent down I heard two shots ring out. The shots were fired by the soldier in the general direction of the man. The soldier shot from his right hip and did not seem to take a proper firing position. I saw the man go down. After the man was shot everybody in the house became hysterical and started screaming. I was very frightened. I could not believe that the soldier had shot the man," Mr McGlinchey said.
The witness said he believed that the victim was shot in the torso. He was then told by the counsel for the inquiry that Mr McKinney, who was shot dead in the location described by him, was hit by a single bullet on the left side of his lower chest.
Meanwhile the inquiry will here evidence today and tomorrow from Sinn Féin MP Mr Martin McGuinness.
Almost 50 US, British and Irish journalists have applied to cover Mr McGuinness's appearance in the witness box.
An additional 200 extra seats have also been provided in a centre close to the Guildhall, where the proceedings are relayed via video link, to cope with increased public interest.