The Barr Tribunal has been investigating the theory that John Carthy committed 'suicide by cop' when he emerged from his house in Abbeylara and was shot dead by Gardaí.
The Tribunal heard that the term, which originated in the United States, is used of situations where victims in confrontations carry out actions that result in their being shot by police.
Chief Superintendent Patrick Hogan, the officer responsible for deploying the Emergency Response Unit to Abbeylara, said the term was an unfortunate one in which a victim uses the police to terminate his life or wound him.
Mr Justice Robert Barr said the Tribunal was engaged in pure speculation and it was impossible to know what was going on in John's mind at the time.
