Police officer ‘watched gunman open fire’

A police officer has told a court he watched a masked gunman open fire during rioting in Londonderry before he saw Lyra McKee stumble and fall to the ground.

The witness told Belfast Crown Court he then heard “horrendous screaming” and “someone shouted she’s been shot”.

Ms McKee was watching a riot in the Creggan estate in Londonderry in April 2019 when she was shot and killed.

The New IRA admitted responsibility for the 29-year-old’s murder.

Three men from Derry are accused of her murder.

They are Jordan Devine, 23, of Bishop Street, Paul McIntyre, 56, of Kells Walk and Peter Cavanagh, 35, of Mary Street.

Another police witness told the court on Thursday he performed CPR on the journalist on her way to hospital.

The officer said he heard a “large scream coming from a crowd at the side of the Land Rover” he was in.

He then saw a “young girl being lifted by police and they gathered her into my van”.

The constable told the non-jury hearing: “ I examined her in the back of the van. There was blood on the right-hand side of her head. She was unresponsive and I was giving her rescue breaths”.

He said that “it was very difficult to make out her injuries. There was very little blood coming from the injury”.

Another police constable told the court that he saw a “figure with dark clothing”.

“His face was covered with a mask and he appeared to be carrying a handgun”.

The constable said: “I could see clearly he was carrying a gun. I heard at least 4 shots”.

Seven other men, also all from Derry, are also on trial on a number of charges, including rioting and throwing petrol bombs.

They are: Joseph Barr, 36, of Sandringham Drive; Jude Coffey, 26, of Gartan Square; William Elliott, 57, of Ballymagowan Gardens; Joseph Campbell, 23, of Gosheden Cottages; Patrick Gallagher, 32, of John Field Place; Christopher Gillen, 43, of Balbane Pass, and Kieran McCool, 55, of Ballymagowan Gardens.

The case continues.