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Graphic shows details of Bloody Sunday shootings
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CRIME

Ex-soldier to be charged in Bloody Sunday killings

By Mike Tyler

March 14, 2019 - One former British soldier will face prosecution on two charges of murder and four charges of attempted murder over the Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in 1972.

The former soldier, identified as soldier “F,” was a member of the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment sent to the protest in Londonderry on Jan. 30, 1972. The veteran will face prosecution for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.

Sixteen other soldiers under investigation will not face prosecution in the shootings, which took place at the height of the unrest in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.

The charges follow a decade-long investigation that concluded soldiers killed 13 unarmed demonstrators protesting Britain’s detention of suspected Irish nationalists. But the results of the inquiry that concluded in 2010 could not be used in any prosecution, and Thursday’s charges resulted from a separate police investigation into the incident.

The victims’ families have called for justice, while supporters of the soldiers say it is unfair for them to face charges decades after the events.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 14/03/2019; STORY: Graphic News
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