The Garda Commissioner is likely to be called to give evidence to an Oireachtas Committee in January concerning the killing of John Carthy. The Opposition characterised his report on the affair yesterday as a Garda version of a Garda action.
The Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights is expected to hold hearings on the issue in January after studying submissions on the report. Several members speculated last night that a subcommittee, which would seek powers from the Dail to compel witnesses to attend, would conduct its inquiries.
Several committee members said privately yesterday they wished to question a number of aspects of the report. These included the suggestion that Mr Carthy had continued to walk towards gardai having been shot three times, including one shot which entered through the spine and exited through his scrotum - before being hit a fourth time.
They also questioned why Mr Carthy, in an agitated state, was deprived of cigarettes, and they said they were not satisfied with the reasons given for the absence of non-lethal Garda weapons.
With a detailed Garda version of events now in the public domain, committee sources said they were keen to see whether anyone would dispute the details of the incident. If they did, they would be likely to be invited to speak to the committee.
The Carthy family are expected to make a detailed submission to the Oireachtas committee. The committee has invited interested parties to make submissions before November 30th.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, yesterday did not rule out an independent inquiry into the affair. While the Oireachtas committee would consider the matter first, he had never "closed off" the independent inquiry option.
Labour's justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin, said the report "cannot be considered a complete response to the serious concerns that the public have about the circumstances of the death of Mr Carthy".
Mr Howlin, a member of the committee, said he would be asking it to look in detail not just at the circumstances of Mr Carthy's death but at the broader question of Garda lethal force. "Issues that must be looked at include the adequacy of the training and equipment available to the Garda i as well as their access to outside expertise such as counsellors or medical personnel who could help deal with situations such as the Abbeylara confrontation."
Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Alan Shatter, declined to comment on the report yesterday. He said that as a member of the committee which was likely to inquire into the affair he did not want to prejudice his position by commenting beforehand.
Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins challenged the finding that Mr Carthy was shot a fourth time because he had continued to walk after the third shot entered him "at the base of the spine and exited at the scrotum". It was "inconceivable that a human being could continue to walk after sustaining such an injury".