News Story

The Garda who shot and killed George Nkencho has told a court they believed they would be killed if they did not use lethal force.

Mr Nkencho, 27, died outside his home in west Dublin in December 2020 after being shot multiple times by the Garda armed support unit.

The firearms officer, Garda A, gave evidence at Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Tuesday

They have been granted anonymity but were visible to the coroner, jury and legal teams.

The court heard how Garda A and another firearms officer, known as Garda B, arrived at the scene and found Mr Nkencho, surrounded by 10 Gardai.

The Garda member described how Mr Nkencho appeared “highly alert and focused”, was instructed to “drop the knife”, and how Garda A feared he “would attack anyone who stood in front of him or try to arrest him”.

They then described how Mr Nkencho was followed into the garden of a private home ignoring Gardai, Garda A was unaware it was Mr Nkencho’s home, they said.

Garda A described how Mr Nkencho lunged at him with a knife, and after a “taser, taser, taser” warning was shouted, Mr Nkencho was tasered twice by firearms officers.

In their evidence Garda A said they then tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the knife while Mr Nkencho was on the ground, but he was more alert than expected and stabbed at Garda A’s legs.

In their description of events Garda A outlined how pepper spray deployed by Garda B appeared also to have little effect on Mr Nkencho who got to his feet.

“He was alert, moving quickly, he was angry-looking with gritted teeth and wild glaring eyes,” Garda A said.

Garda A described how Mr Nkencho continued to attack, “lunging” with the knife.

And decided: “it was absolutely necessary for me to use lethal force against this male attacking me from close proximity.”

Garda A explained using a Heckler & Koch MP7 firearm to shoot Mr Nkencho “at the central mass of this male’s body, as trained, not to kill him but to have the best chance of stopping him”.

The firearms officer “fully expected him to fall over injured”, but said Mr Nkencho kept coming with the knife.

Garda A shot again knowing it was “lethal force I was using against him, but believing it was proportionate to avert him” and continued to back away from Mr Nkencho.

Three more shots were fired by Garda A, until they were “backed up against a hedge in the garden”.

At that point, Garda A said Mr Nkencho was still standing with a knife in his hand.

Garda A described how the sixth shot “was different” and Mr Nkencho “fell over and was seriously injured on the ground”.

Then Garda A said they became aware of “screaming coming from the house” and “two or three adult females” came out the front door.

The incident was the subject of an independent criminal investigation by the then Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), now Fiosru, which concluded in June 2023 with the submission of an investigative file to the director of public prosecutions.

A decision was made not to pursue any criminal prosecution in relation to the shooting.

An inquest into his death began last week at Dublin District Coroner’s Court.