Less remembered than bloody Sunday in Derry, but nearly as deadly was the "Ballymurphy massacre" 11 civilians were shot dead over three days in west Belfast during the opening phases of the internment operation. Again the Parachute regiment was responsible.
Six civilians were killed on 9 August, these were:
Francis Quinn (19), shot by a sniper (who had taken position at the nearby army base) while going to the aid of a wounded man.[9][10]
Fr. Hugh Mullan (38), a Catholic priest, shot by a sniper while going to the aid of a wounded man.[9][11]
Joan Connolly (50), shot as she stood opposite the army base.[9][12]
Daniel Teggart (44), was shot fourteen times. Most of the bullets entered his back, allegedly as he lay injured on the ground.[9][13]
Noel Phillips (20), shot as he stood opposite the army base.[9][14]
Joseph Murphy (41), shot as he stood opposite the army base.[9] Murphy was subsequently taken into army custody and after his release, as he was dying in hospital, he claimed that he had been beaten and shot again while in custody. When his body was exhumed in October 2015, a second bullet was discovered in his body, which activists say corroborate his claim.[15
In my mind, this was worse than bloody Sunday, where the soldiers may have believed they were in danger. But here a highly trained army sniper, secure inside a British army base, in absolutely no danger, picks off random civilians. Perhaps he thought the priest had an armalite tucked under his cassock?
Last edited by tom8517; 01-20-2018 at 04:35 AM.
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