A Traveller who was murdered at his uncle's funeral was "shot in the back of his chest" as he tried to run away, a trial at the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, said Dr Marie Cassidy, who was then deputy state pathologist, would tell Mr Justice O'Neill and the jury that the victim died from a single gunshot wound to the back of his chest.
"He was shot in the heart and he bled to death. Dr Cassidy will also say that Patrick 'Deuce' Ward's cause of death was due to a 'gunshot wound to the back of the trunk'."
Five men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ward in May 1999 at Carrownanty Cemetery in Ballymote, Co Sligo.
Mr Michael McDonagh snr (53), Mr Martin McDonagh snr (58), Mr Michael McDonagh jnr (29), Mr Patrick McDonagh (33) and Mr Martin McDonagh jnr (26), from Hertfordshire in England, have all denied the murder of Mr Ward.
Mr Ward (38), a father of six originally from Galway but living in Manchester, had travelled for the funeral of his uncle, also Patrick Ward, in Ballymote, Co Sligo, on May 10th, 1999, when he was fatally shot.
The five have also pleaded not guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and have denied the attempted murder of Mr Patrick Ward snr, Mr Patrick Ward jnr and Mr Edward Ward. They also pleaded not guilty to causing violent disorder on the same date.
"This murder arose out of an incident at the funeral of Patrick 'Skillet' Ward at Carrownanty cemetery in Ballymote, Co Sligo," Mr Buckley told the jury.
"The Wards and the McDonaghs are intermarried. The McDonaghs are known as the 'Bumbee' McDonaghs and Michael McDonagh snr is known by the nickname 'Hitler'," he said.
Mr Michael McDonagh snr and Mr Patrick Ward snr were "first cousins" and they had "known each other for years".
Mr Buckley continued: "An incident broke out at the funeral and Patrick 'Deuce' Ward fled. He was running away when he was shot. He was put into a car and was being driven by a family member to hospital. They were stopped by gardaí and he was taken by ambulance to hospital where he later died."
Mr Buckley said two of the State's most important witnesses were father and son, Mr Patrick Ward snr and Mr Patrick Ward jnr. Mr Ward jnr would testify that on the morning of the funeral, he drove with his wife and his father from Galway in a green van. When they got to the graveyard, they noticed a crowd outside the cemetery.
"Himself and his father got out. As they walked towards the crowd, stones were thrown at him and his father," Mr Buckley said. "His father shouted to [ Michael] 'Hitler Bumbee' McDonagh snr saying, 'I want to talk to you'. Mr McDonagh snr replied: 'Kill them kill them, shoot them'."
Mr Buckley said Mr Ward jnr would say that "all of a sudden, six men appeared and five had hand guns in their hands". He said at least five shots were fired and Mr McDonagh snr shouted: "Shoot them, kill them."
Father and son turned and ran in the opposite direction, finding refuge in the home of Mr Thomas Tigue, the former state solicitor for Sligo.
Mr Ward jnr heard Mr McDonagh snr say "burn it, burn it", which he took to be his van. When he returned to his van, the windows were broken and a fire had just begun.
Mr Buckley said Mr Ward snr would say that Mr Michael McDonagh was a "first cousin of his and that he was one of the men that shot at him".
Mr Ward snr, Mr Buckley continued, ran down the road and as he looked back he saw Mr Martin McDonagh snr with a pickaxe handle in his hand saying "shoot them, shoot them, kill them" and that Mr Ward snr saw Mr Martin McDonagh jnr "fire shots".
Mr Buckley said a "joint enterprise" took place on behalf of the accused men. "If several persons act together, every act done by each of them is an act done by all."
The trial continues.