Taser devices were discharged by members of the Garda Armed Support Unit on four occasions within a 21-second period before the fatal shooting of George Nkencho outside his west Dublin home five years ago, an inquest has been told.
Former head of the firearms training unit at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, Sergeant James Ryan, gave a detailed assessment of how tasers were used by two ASU officers during the fatal incident, reports Breaking News.
Information downloaded from the devices showed that one ASU member, identified only as Garda B, first activated his taser for five seconds at 12:35:13 and then twice more during the following 21 seconds.
The data also showed that Garda A, who later fired the fatal shots using a Heckler & Koch MP7 firearm, deployed his taser for seven seconds at 12:35:18, reports Breaking News.
The inquest heard this was the second of four attempts to administer an electric shock to Mr Nkencho in an effort to disarm him of a knife he was using to threaten gardaí.
Earlier evidence this week heard that the first use of the taser briefly knocked Mr Nkencho to the ground, while the subsequent deployments appeared to have no effect once he regained his feet, reports Breaking News.
Mr Nkencho (27) died after sustaining fatal gunshot wounds during the incident outside his family home at Manorfields Drive, Clonee, Co Dublin, on December 30th, 2020, shortly after being involved in a disturbance at a nearby supermarket.
The young man, the eldest of five siblings whose family originated from Nigeria, was pronounced dead a short time later at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, reports Breaking News.
The inquest previously heard that Mr Nkencho carried out an unprovoked assault on a manager at a Eurospar store in Hartstown and also threatened staff with a knife shortly before the fatal shooting.
His family maintain that the level of force used against him was disproportionate, however the DPP directed that no prosecution should follow an investigation by Fiosrú, formerly the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, reports Breaking News.
Sgt Ryan, who coordinated training for ASU officers, told the seventh day of the inquest that tasers were “very unlikely” to be effective if a target was wearing bulky clothing.
Answering questions from coroner Myra Cullinane, he said gardaí should consider using alternative resources “depending on the level of threat,” if tasers were not working, reports Breaking News.
Sgt Ryan said gardaí would be justified in using lethal force to eliminate a threat to life.
In some situations, he said officers might hope for additional back-up providing other options such as a 40mm launcher, though this was not always practical, reports Breaking News.
Sgt Ryan said tasers were visibly effective where “a good connection” was achieved, with the target expected to fall to the ground.
He explained that the individual’s muscles would lock, which could prevent them from extending their hands to break a fall, reports Breaking News.
Sgt Ryan said the taser would continue to be effective until the electrical connection was broken.
The witness said he could not comment on how effective the pepper spray used during the incident was, noting that it was past its use-by date, reports Breaking News.
Sgt Ryan confirmed that ASU members are trained to recognise vulnerable individuals or those experiencing mental health difficulties, including understanding that compliance with instructions is not guaranteed.
He said armed gardaí might identify mental health issues based on how a person responds to verbal commands, and this should be considered if a suspect does not engage, reports Breaking News.
Sgt Ryan said ASU members are trained to minimise risk and contain situations where possible, but there are circumstances where they may “have to act.”
He told the inquest that ammunition used with the MP7 firearm is designed to penetrate body armour but stop within the body, reports Breaking News.
Counsel for the deceased’s family, Eanna Molloy SC, noted that four of the six bullets fired at Mr Nkencho exited his body.
Sgt Ryan told Mr Molloy he could not recall gardaí using specialist psychological trainers when instructing ASU members on dealing with evolving situations, reports Breaking News.
However, he emphasised that gardaí are trained “to make decisions on what they are presented with,” reports Breaking News.
Responding to questions from counsel for An Garda Síochána, Ronan Kennedy SC, Sgt Ryan said ASU members undergo regular refresher training in firearms, less-lethal weapons and scenario-based exercises, reports Breaking News.
The witness said the ASU training course had “rigorous standards.”
The inquest heard Garda A passed all firearms tests with “very high scores” in his final exams and that there were “no issues” with his performance, reports Breaking News.
During a brief exchange between legal teams, Mr Molloy claimed Garda A had “jumped the gun and turned up the heat” before Dr Cullinane intervened.
The inquest, before a jury of five women and four men, is continuing this afternoon, reports Breaking News.
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