Soldier tells Inquiry he shot 'bomber'
A soldier said today he shot a bomber on Bloody Sunday who was preparing to throw a second device.
Soldier Q told the Saville Inquiry in London he believed he killed the man after hitting him once in the chest.
The former paratrooper was in an armoured vehicle which drove into the nationalist Bogside area of Derry on January 30, 1972 when 13 civil rights marchers were shot dead by soldiers. A 14th man died later.
Soldier Q said he spotted his target between blocks two and three of the Rossville Flats.
“As I caught sight of him, he threw something with his right hand. I cannot remember what action he used. He threw a bomb. I knew it was a bomb because it went off.
“I did not know it was a bomb when he threw it but I watched him throw it and then it exploded.”
Soldier Q, who was a 19-year-old private at the time, said the bomber ducked around a corner before reappearing with another device.
“There was no-one in between me and him but I cannot remember if there were people on either side,” he said.
“He had another bomb. He was preparing to throw it. I took aim, took the safety catch off and shot him.”
Soldier Q said he fired one shot with the intention to kill and in accordance with British army regulations.
“I know I hit him because he went down.
“As soon as he went down, I knew I had neutralised the target and I put my safety catch on.
“I have been asked whether or not it is common practice of soldiers in the British army to fire two aimed shots. It is, but if you hit someone with your first shot, why fire two?”
The soldier said he had been asked how sure he was that he had killed the man and said he believed his shot had struck the man in the chest.
“I knew that if he was hit by a 7.63mm bullet in the chest, he would be dead.
“All I can say is that experience/intuition told me that I had killed him and that he was dragged away.”
Soldier Q said he stood by his account of the first bomb despite many witnesses saying they did not hear explosions in that area on Bloody Sunday.
The soldier also said he heard a mixture of high and low velocity fire directed at soldiers before the blast.
Soldier Q was the 740th witness to appear before the Saville Inquiry.
The inquiry, which usually sits at the Guildhall in Derry, is currently hearing the evidence of military witnesses and others in London because of concerns for their safety.
