A former coursemate of George Nkencho has told an inquest into his death that he ''didn’t appear to be himself" after he recognised the 27-year-old in a supermarket in Hartstown in Dublin on 30 December 2020, the day that he was killed.
He suffered fatal gunshot wounds during an incident involving members of the Garda Armed Support Unit outside his home at Manorfields Drive, Clonee in Co Dublin.
Gavin Richard said that he was on an FAI training course with Mr Nkencho in 2014 and that he had not seen him since the course finished.
However, on the day of the shooting, Mr Gavin was a customer in the post office adjacent to the Eurospar store when he heard a commotion.
He observed "screaming and shouting" and recognised that Mr Nkencho was involved.
Mr Richard described Mr Nkencho as "a quiet lad who never had any issues with anyone" while he was enrolled on the course.
He said that he approached Mr Nkencho when he was outside the supermarket and introduced himself, and he seemed to recognise him.
Mr Richard said that Mr Nkencho told him: "I just want to go to the post office".
He added: "I thought something was wrong with him, he didn’t appear to be himself".
In a statement read at the inquest, Mr Richard said: "He [George] didn’t seem to be under the influence but he didn’t seem like a fella that was in the right frame of mind."
Mr Richard said that he managed to calm Mr Nkencho down, re-entered the premises and joined the queue for the post office.
He said that Mr Nkencho appeared to put his hand in his pocket as he approached him outside.
CCTV of the exterior of the shop showed an interaction between the two men.
The footage appeared to show Mr Nkencho putting his hand in his right pocket.
Another witness, Martina Shields, a postmistress at Hartstown Post Office since 1992, said that she was alerted to a commotion just after midday and described it as an "angry sort of shouting".
She said that she later saw Mr Nkencho in the post office queue, where he waited for approximately nine minutes.
Ms Shields added that she was familiar with him as a customer and had never had issues with him.
When it was Mr Nkencho's turn to be served, he asked her about his social welfare payment.
She swiped his card and saw that he had received a payment the previous week, and would receive the next payment the following Monday.
"George understood what I told him about the social welfare," Ms Shields said, and he responded: "OK and walked out towards the filling station".
Niall Kinahan, who was Eurospar manager at the time, said an employee told him that the assistant manager, Wayne Swords, was hit.
Mr Kinahan said that he went to the front of the store and observed Mr Nkencho outside.
Asked by coroner Dr Myra Cullinane about Mr Nkencho’s demeanour, Mr Kinahan said that he was "pacing and bouncing around, and was definitely on edge".
"He didn’t want to seem to want anyone near him."
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As Mr Nkencho re-entered the store, on his way to the post office, Mr Kinahan said that he was making loud grunting noises and seemed to be angry.
As store manager, Mr Kinahan said he did not know what to do - whether he should let him back in or prevent him from entering.
However, when he saw Mr Nkencho's demeanour, he thought it best to let him join the queue and decided to stop other customers from doing so.
He described Mr Nkencho's eyes as "bulbous". He said that he was "wide-eyed" and was able to observe this because he was roughly between two or three metres away from him.
Mr Kinahan said that Mr Nkencho had previously stood out as a customer because he was "a big lad" and on previous occasions "had seemed lifeless and on medication".
He said that he had seen Mr Nkencho on occasion walking around the shop slowly, with drowsy eyes.
Asked by Dr Cullinane if Mr Nkencho looked to be in mental distress, Mr Kinahan replied: "Yes".
He said that, while Mr Nkencho was waiting in line, he appeared to be agitated, and kept looking and glancing behind him "as if afraid that someone was going to approach him from behind".
Mr Kinahan said that he told him: "It’s all good, it’s all good, work away" to placate him.
Gerard Doran, a butcher in the Eurospar store, helped Mr Swords, the assistant manager, who the inquest heard was punched by Mr Nkencho.
Mr Doran said that, as a first aider, he told Mr Swords that it was likely he had a broken nose.
Mr Doran said his impression of Mr Nkencho was that he looked to be "very agitated and angry" and that when he left the post office, he observed him walking towards Hartstown pub.
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Witness Richard Desay told the inquest he observed two garda vehicles following behind Mr Nkencho as he made his way home.
From a front bedroom window, Mr Desay, a paramedic for Dublin Fire Brigade, saw an unmarked garda vehicle mount the footpath on Cherryfield Park and pull up in front of Mr Nkencho.
A garda got out on the passenger side and tried to engage him, Mr Desay said.
He added that Mr Nkencho appeared to become jumpy and agitated.
Mr Desay said Mr Nkencho appeared to be shouting at gardai with an aggressive attitude.
He said that a knife was drawn and Mr Nkencho raised it above his head in the direction of the gardai.
The gardai immediately retreated backwards, he added.
Later, Mr Nkencho continued walking past the garda car and the gardai followed him.
Mr Desay said he was aware there were several people in the vicinity and was concerned for the safety of all involved, but that he was particularly concerned for the safety of the gardai.
The witness had recorded a short video of what he observed on his mobile phone which was played to the jurors at the inquest.
Another witness, Kevin Nolan, who was not present but gave a written statement to the court, said that he seen ''two guards get out of an unmarked car and charge towards a male [Mr Nkencho] with batons".
Asked if this account lined up with what he saw, Mr Desay told the court ''Gardai definitely did not approach George in any sort of charge from where I was standing''.
The inquest continues tomorrow.
