Neighbours of Limerick nightclub security man Brian Fitzgerald have told the jury in the trial of four men accused of killing Mr Fitzgerald at the Central Criminal Court how they awoke on the night of the shooting to the sound of gunshots.
The jury has been told the main prosecution witness will be James Martin Cahill, who is serving a life sentence for carrying out the murder and is due to testify against those who accompanied him.
The trial is taking place amid added security in the courtroom within the grounds of Cloverhill Prison, normally only used for remand hearings.
Gary Campion (24), Pineview Gardens, Moyross, Limerick, John (27) and Desmond (23) Dundon, both from Ballinacurra, Weston, Co Limerick, and Clare businessman Anthony Kelly (50), with an address at Kilrush, Co Clare, all plead not guilty to murdering 34-year-old Mr Fitzgerald on November 29th, 2002, at Brookhaven Walk, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick.
Monica McElvanney told Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, that she was woken at 3.37am on November 29th by someone shouting, "Oh God, no!" Almost immediately she heard two or three shots, then a gap of about 30 seconds before another two or three shots sounded.
Mary Mannix told Seán Gillane, prosecuting, that she woke up just after 3.30am, hearing four or six shots. She heard a man crying or shouting out, "Help me, I'm being shot at".
Patrick Healy, who also lived in the area, told Mr Gillane he had been leaving a friend's house on the street at about 1am when he saw a "filthy, dirty" red Ford Mondeo driving slowly down the road.
He described the driver as a "stocky, bald man". He became suspicious when the car made an awkward three-point turn - "it was an absolute disaster" - but when he went towards the car to get a better look it sped away.
Another neighbour, Paul O'Byrne, told Mr Buckley he had been woken by the sound of shots at about 3.45am. He got up to phone the gardaí and saw a man walking past the window wearing a white motorcycle helmet with the visor down over his face. He heard someone shouting "hurry up" but wasn't sure whether it was the man he had seen.
Elaine Murphy was also woken by the sound of gunshots. She looked out the window and saw a man wearing a light-coloured helmet and dark clothes walking away from the Fitzgeralds' house.
A few minutes later she saw someone sprinting out of the estate "out of the corner of my eye" and a second man walking out of the estate.
She noted again he was wearing a light-coloured helmet and dark clothes. She told Mr Gillane she thought at first this man was injured but now wasn't sure. He was holding a gun.
The court also heard from Det Garda Cahill Kavanagh, who told how he recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the bed of the Mulcair river in Anacotty.
Det Garda John Higgins told Mr Buckley the gun was a Czech-made weapon that had been reactivated for normal use. He also told the court he had examined the victim's jeep, finding a canister of CS gas, a steel baton and a throwing knife in a leather sheath. He confirmed to Roger Sweetman SC, defending Desmond Dundon, that he had found no sign of a handgun in the jeep.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Peter Charleton and a jury of 12 men.