An inquest into the fatal shooting of George Nkencho (27) by members of the Garda Armed Support Unit five years ago will see a number of witnesses giving evidence next January.
Dublin District Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane proposed during a brief sitting on Friday morning that the hearing would begin on January 13th.
Dr Cullinane said that “two weeks should offer sufficient time” for witness statements to be heard by the Coroner’s Court. The inquest’s last hearing took place on July 28th, which dealt with issues of disclosure.
“My understanding is that the disclosure to the legal representatives of the family is almost complete,” she said, with 240 statements confirmed as received to date.
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Dr Cullinane proposed a final mention of the inquest be held on December 5th, with a mention dealing with oral submissions on the inquest’s scope also scheduled for October 23rd. She said the number of witnesses is still yet to be determined, adding that it was “preferable to have all submissions on scope” before finalising this.
Mr Nkencho’s family were not present at Friday’s hearing.
The inquest’s timeline has been revised on a number occasions. Plans to hear evidence from the witnesses was previously pinpointed to a period of a little more than two weeks this November.
Dr Cullinane said a number of issues needed to be addressed before the witness testimony. These issues include outstanding CCTV footage of events which are being “technically adapted” and pixelated before disclosure, as well as 13 “relevant” documents concerning certain Garda directives and policies which were also to be disclosed.
Mr Nkencho was shot dead in the front garden of his family’s home in Clonee, Dublin 15, on December 30th, 2020, after a dispute during which he was armed with a kitchen knife.
He was shot a number of times by the Garda Armed Support Unit after he appeared to lunge at gardaí with the weapon in the aftermath of an alleged assault by him at a nearby shop.
The shooting followed an interaction between Mr Nkencho and gardaí, during which tasers and pepper spray were used in a bid to subdue him.
Dr Cullinane has previously said two members of the unit directly involved in Mr Nkencho’s death would be given anonymity during the inquest in the interest of their security and “national security”.
Mr Nkencho’s family has said he was suffering from mental health issues in the months before his death. They have been highly critical of the level of force used on the day.
