Inquest into death following siege at house in Longford.
27-year-old John Carthy was shot dead by Gardaí on 20 April 2000. The Garda Emergency Response Unit had been summoned to the house in Abbeylara by concerned family members. Carthy had a gun and had fired it several times. He was concerned about his upcoming move from the old family home to a new one that had been built on the same property so that the original one could be demolished.
At the inquest, Carthy's friend Kevin Ireland said he had spoken to him by mobile and that Carthy insisted he was only shooting into the air and walls. He asked for a solicitor and Ireland felt Carthy would have given himself up if he had got one. Carthy's mother Rose and sister Marie attended the proceedings.
Marie Carthy said John was pressurised too much by the detectives and they should have backed up a bit. And that view was supported by a neighbour, Tom Walsh.
Ciarán Mullooly reports for RTÉ News on 12 October 2000.
