A young woman described yesterday how she watched, at the age of 12, as her father was shot dead at home after he went to answer a knock on the door.
Kiara O'Flynn was giving evidence at an inquest into the death of her father, Kieran O'Flynn (39), on June 7th, 2001.
A verdict of unlawful killing was returned by the jury after they heard how Mr O'Flynn died after a gunman fired four shots through the door of the house at Thorndale, Dublin Hill, Cork, at about 11.15pm.
Mr O'Flynn had served a prison sentence for importing cannabis resin in December 1992.
His partner, Alison Murray, told Cork city Coroner's Court that she and Mr O'Flynn were watching a film on TV called The Hitman with their daughter Kiara, when they heard two knocks at their door and he went to see who was there.
Ms Murray said she heard four shots and when she went out to the hall, she saw he had been shot. He was shouting at her to keep back but she managed to drag him back to the radiator in the hall where he collapsed.
"He started making horrible noises in his throat. I kept telling him I loved him and to stay with me. I could see he was trying to talk back but his teeth were locked . . . he was getting sick with blood," she told the inquest.
Ms O'Flynn, who was aged 12 at the time, said she went out to the hall to watch her father as he answered the door only to see him fall to the ground as a gunman fired through the front door as he went to open it.
"My dad was still standing after two shots. I went over to my mam and pinched her and screamed. I walked back out to the hall. My dad was still standing by the door screaming at me and my mam to get in," she said.
"Then my dad got weak and I saw the man come into our hall. He just stood there with a balaclava on him . . . He held the gun in front of him, he held the gun steady, it wasn't moving in front of him. He stood there for about eight seconds and then ran away."
Ms Murray said she rang the emergency services. Gardaí attempted resuscitation before two ambulances arrived.
Emergency medical technicians John McCarthy and Bernard Flynn said they had some difficulty accessing the house because of a green area in front of it. They attempted cardiac pulmonary resuscitation before Mr O'Flynn was taken to the Mercy University Hospital, where he arrived at 11.42pm. Hospital staff also attempted to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead at 12.25am.
Insp John Quilter said gardaí believed two men were involved and that Mr O'Flynn was shot with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun or pistol. A number of people were arrested but no one had been charged, although the file on the killing remained open.
The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing and added a recommendation that access be improved to houses in the area for emergency vehicles.
