State Violence

During the early hours of November 6 1971 200 members of the Royal Green Jackets, a regiment of the British Army, moved into Creggan to search a house in Rathlin Drive, with instructions to arrest any males there. As they were leaving the area, empty handed, a soldier opened fire, shooting dead Kathleen Thompson, a 47-year-old mother of six children who was standing in her back garden at 129 Rathlin Drive. She was killed instantly by a single shot in the chest.

Tobias Molloy was returning to Strabane from Lifford on 16th July 1972 when he was struck on the chest by a rubber bullet fired by the British Army. Tobias died of his injuries.   The incident took place at the “Camel’s Hump” British Army checkpoint in the early hours of the morning (Sunday night/ Monday morning.) Earlier that evening Tobias had attended a dance at the Inter Counties Hotel in Lifford, and was returning to Strabane after leaving his girlfriend home.

Dermot McShane, a 35 year old factory worker had been in a bar close to Little James street in Derry on the night of 12th July 1996. He left the bar with friends at around 1.30am. Close to the junction of Little James Street and Great James Street, a large crowd of people had gathered and were throwing missiles at the police. Military reinforcements were called. Police were firing large numbers of plastic baton rounds at the crowd.

On 11 November 1982, Gervaise McKerr was driving a green Ford Escort. There were two passengers in the car: Eugen Toman and Sean Burns. None of the men were armed. At Tullygally Road, East Lurgan, at least 109 rounds were fired into the car by police officers in a specially trained mobile support unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (the RUC). All three men were killed.The facts relating to the death of Gervaise McKerr remain in dispute despite over ten years of inquest proceedings, three criminal prosecutions and other related legal proceedings.

 William (Billy) McKavanagh, aged 21, was shot dead by a soldier from the 1st Battalion, the Royal Green Jackets in Catherine Street in the Markets area in the early hours of the 11th August 1971. The HET report into his killing confirms his innocence. There was a security operation taking place in the Markets area at the time. Billy, his brother Patrick and their cousin Teddy were walking along Catherine Street heading towards home. They had picked up items that had been looted and left lying on the street. When they saw soldiers they dropped the items and ran. Billy was shot in the back from close range as he ran away. The HET report found that he did not pose any threat whatsoever when he was shot.