The Director of Public Prosecutions is to decide if a garda who shot a man dead in Dublin two and a half years ago is to be prosecuted.
27-year-old George Nkencho was shot dead by an armed garda outside the family home in Clonee, Co Dublin, in December 2020.
Gardaí were called to the scene following reports of a man in a nearby shop armed with a knife.
Unarmed gardaí then followed George Nkencho home where the fatal shooting took place following the arrival of the armed support unit.
The Garda Ombudsman Commission announced today it had completed its investigation and had decided to send a file to the DPP.
The Nkencho family today welcomed the decision and said it was relieved that there was now the potential for charges to be preferred in relation to George's death.
George Nkencho’s sister Gloria said the decision brings a sense of relief and hope.
She said the family were "encouraged by the prospect of a thorough examination of the evidence by the DPP" and that the family "implore them to carefully consider the strength of the investigation’s teams findings".
The DPP is the state’s legal officer who independently reviews case files and decides whether or not there is sufficient evidence to prosecute a person.
The family's solicitor Phelim O'Neill said today that they had not been told, and did not know, if GSOC had included a recommendation to prosecute in its file.
At the time of the fatal shooting, gardaí said George Nkencho had been armed with a knife at a shop in nearby Hartstown earlier that day before walking home and subsequently threatening gardaí.
The armed response unit was called to the family home and gardaí also said at the time that George Nkencho had been shot after non-lethal weapons such as tasers and pepper spray had been unsuccessful.
Today his family said that the insidious influence of racial bias had tainted the initial coverage of George’s case and criticised journalists, including RTÉ for what they said was "inaccurate reporting fuelled by leaks" from the gardaí.
They also accused the major political parties of failing to stand by their family and emphasised the importance of what they called "the issue of racial bias within law enforcement".
Gloria Nkencho said it was "essential to recognise the impact of George’s mental health struggles" and that "as a society we must acknowledge the need for proper training and resources to equip law enforcement agencies in effectively handling individuals experiencing mental health crises".
