A gunman who shot and killed a man in Dublin may first have shot him in the leg to paralyse him before unloading a fatal shot to the head, an inquest has heard.
Gerald Fitzgerald (48), a father of 10, Rathvilly Park, Finglas, Dublin, was shot dead as he stood at the junction of Oldtown Road and Shanliss Road in Santry, Dublin, in November 2001.
There have been no criminal prosecutions in relation to his death. Mr Fitzgerald was known to gardaí. He had been involved in a feud with his extended family, the inquest has been told.
A year before he was murdered, he was shot outside his home but survived. A week after that shooting, his nephew Francis Fitzgerald (27) was shot dead at his flat at Annamoe Terrace, Cabra, Dublin, on November 14th, 2000.
Det Sgt Brendan McArdle told Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday that if the gunman's intent "was to kill", it was likely that Mr Fitzgerald was first shot in the leg to paralyse him momentarily. "If someone wants to paralyse the body it's the ideal way to take someone out . . . The coup de grace was still to follow."
Witnesses to the shooting told the court that they heard gunshots, then a man's shout, followed by more gunshots and then a car screeching away.
Gerard Scully, who lives on Shanliss Road, told the inquest: "I heard two gunshots followed by a cry of pain. After I heard the cry of pain I heard another gunshot. Then I heard a car revving up loudly and a light-coloured car with its lights turned off drove off at speed.
"I could see a human body lying on the ground. I couldn't make out if it was man, woman or child," he added.
Matthew Metcalf who was walking in the area witnessed the shooting. "I saw two flashes of light and then I saw a man falling to the ground. I just froze. Right after the shots I saw a car spinning off . . . The man was still alive when I was there and I could hear him gasping for air."
Garda Thomas Murphy said he heard the gunshots from Santry Garda station, just moments from where the shooting took place. "I didn't pay much attention when I heard the bangs because it was just after Halloween and there were lots of fireworks."
The inquest resumes on Monday and State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy is expected to give postmortem evidence.