Toll of civilians and terrorists shot in controversial incidents: David McKittrick reviews some suspicious deaths involving members of the security forces
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Your support makes all the difference.April 1986: Seamus McElwaine, an armed IRA member, killed in SAS ambush in Fermanagh. An inquest jury this year found he had been wounded in initial exchanges, but was not given a chance to surrender and was shot five minutes later.
May 1987: Oliver Hughes, a civilian, died during an SAS ambush which killed eight armed IRA members at Loughgall, Co Armagh.
February 1988: Aidan McAnespie, a civilian, shot by a soldier at a border look-out tower. A soldier was charged with manslaughter but the charge was withdrawn. An inquest jury this year said the soldiers in charge of the machine-gun involved had broken the rules in their handling of the weapon. The coroner said the death was avoidable and should not have happened. The McAnespie family was awarded substantial damages.
July 1988: Kenneth Stronge, a civilian, was killed by an Army bullet during a gun battle between troops and the IRA.
August 1988: Three armed IRA men shot dead by the SAS in Tyrone. An inquest jury this year declined to endorse Army evidence that the IRA had fired first, saying it could not say for certain.
August 1989: Seamus Duffy, 15, was killed by a plastic bullet fired by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in north Belfast. An inquest jury concluded he had been rioting earlier, but found no evidence to show that he had been rioting when shot.
Of the 14 people killed by plastic bullets, four have been ruled to have been rioting. Six were ruled innocent by an inquest or a judge, while in the two other cases no finding of rioting was made.
January 1990: Three non-paramilitary robbers, two of whom had imitation firearms on them, were shot dead by undercover troops in west Belfast.
September 1990: Two teenagers, Karen Reilly and Martin Peake, shot dead while joyriding in west Belfast.
December 1990: Fergal Caraher, a Sinn Fein member, killed in an incident at a south Armagh roadblock. Two Royal Marines are awaiting trial on murder charge.
September 1991: Kevin McGovern, a civilian, shot dead by the RUC in Tyrone. The force apologised for the shooting and said he was not engaged in terrorist activity. An RUC constable has been charged with murder.
September 1992: Peter McBride, 18, a civilian, was shot dead by troops in north Belfast. Two Scots Guards awaiting trial for murder.
November 92: Pearse Jordan, an unarmed IRA member, shot dead by the RUC in west Belfast.
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