A 19-year-old Wexford man shot his teenage ex-girlfriend in the back with a shotgun before killing himself, an inquest heard yesterday.
"I could feel the gun pressed against me before he shot me," Ms Amy Bolger told the inquest in Wexford yesterday into the death of John Hendrick on November 5th, 2000, outside the Phoenix Bar in the town. Ms Bolger was 16 years of age at the time of the shooting.
The inquest heard Mr Hendrick put the shotgun to Ms Bolger's neck and shot her as she turned round and tried to get away. He then turned the gun on himself. He died instantly from a single, self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head
Ms Bolger told the inquest that she and Mr Hendrick had had a "turbulent" two-year relationship and that just before the shooting she had sent him a letter saying she just wanted to be friends. Since the attack, she has lost the power of her right arm.
The owner of the shotgun, Mr Adrian Harpour, told the inquest Mr Hendrick called to his parents' home and to his house on the day, saying he wanted to see his shotgun. He said his father wanted to buy a gun, and he wanted to examine the shotgun.
Mr Hendrick received several phone calls on two mobile phones which were in his pockets during the exchange. As the two men went back into the kitchen of the house, Mr Hendrick grabbed the gun and slammed the door, locking Mr Harpour inside.
Mr Harpour immediately reported the matter to the Garda. Under cross-examination by Mr Eric Furlong, counsel for the Hendrick family, Mr Harpour said the gun was not loaded and he had not handed over any cartridges.
The State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, said the deceased had a shotgun injury under the chin and a blow-out injury to the face. He had bruises on a finger and blood on his right thumb nail. She found only a small quantity of alcohol in his system.
She found that death was due to a shotgun injury, consistent with self-infliction. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the pathologist's report.