Man tells Saville inquiry of last minutes with friend

A man today described how he hid in a garden from the gunfire of

A man today described how he hid in a garden from the gunfire of

Bloody Sunday with a man killed moments later.

Mr Jim Doherty said he spent between five and 15 minutes huddled behind a fence on Glenfada Park North in Derry's Bogside with Mr Gerard McKinney, the 35-year-old father of eight shot dead in neighbouring Abbey Park 29 years ago.

Giving evidence to the Saville Inquiry Mr Doherty said they took shelter from shots splintering brickwork on a nearby gable wall after troops entered the area.

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Mr Doherty said he knew Mr McKinney well, having worked with him: "Gerry, like me, was wearing his Sunday best that day and I think he was wearing a tie. He was not holding anything when I saw him. He was not carrying any weapons."

"While we were hiding there Gerry asked me, ‘what's happening?’. A young lad came up and told us there were people lying dead in front of the rubble barricade. When I heard that, I told Gerry that I was going to get out of there.''

Under examination, Mr Doherty said he also heard shouts that soldiers were coming into Glenfada Park North before he fled. "Gerry was just there in the garden or front court and I just ran. That was the last time I ever saw him. He was an innocent man.''

Earlier Mr Doherty spoke of the first shootings that day - Damien Donaghy (15) and John Johnston (59) - which happened before members of 1 Para entered the Bogside.

They were wounded on the fringe of the Bogside, close to where soldiers were posted. Mr Doherty told the Tribunal in the Guildhall in Derry that he saw both being hit by the live rounds.

In his statement he said: ``I was standing directly behind both men when I saw them shot. At the time they were shot, both men were simply standing and looking across towards Little James Street.

"They were not doing anything or holding anything. There was no stone-throwing going on at that time."

PA