Innocent man shot talking to friends, inquest told
An inquest heard yesterday that Keith Fitzsimons, 23, of 196 Glingrove, Coolock, Dublin, was walking on Millbrook Road, Ayrfield, where he grew up, on June 2, 2006, when he stopped to talk to friends at number 20.
At 11.30pm, a gunman approached the house and shot at the people gathered there.
Mr Fitzsimons, an only son, was shot six times. A number of bullets penetrated his chest, causing fatal injuries to his heart and lungs.
He was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A postmortem by the deputy state pathologist Dr Michael Curtis recorded a cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
Two other men, David Brady, who lives in No 20, and Wayne Watson, were also shot but survived the attack.
Mr Brady told the court that he was in the front garden when he noticed a man, wearing a dark-coloured hood which was pulled up, walk from Millbrook and stop at the house before pulling out a handgun.
Mr Brady heard a shot and realised he had been hit in the side.
Bridie Brady, who was in her bedroom, ran out upon hearing the shots and found David and Wayne collapsed.
“I knew when I saw Keith’s face he was dead,” she told the inquest.
A neighbour, Niall Doyle, who also heard the shots, saw two men running away and seconds later he saw a car drive off at speed.
Inspector Pat Conlon of Coolock Garda Station said gardaí believe there was an argument at Edenmore shopping centre earlier that evening that was material to the event, in which Keith Fitzsimons was not involved.
“He was passing by No 20 and joined the group some time prior to the shooting,” which he described as “indiscriminate”.
To date, no one has been made accountable for the crime and a Garda investigation is ongoing, he said.
A jury returned a verdict of death by unlawful killing by persons unknown under the direction of the Dublin City coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, and observed that Keith Fitzsimons was an, “innocent bystander”.
The inquest was one of two inquiries into violent gun deaths in 2006, where no one has yet been held accountable, heard at the coroner’s court yesterday.
A Garda investigation is also active into the shooting dead of a 22-year-old man who was returning to his girlfriend’s apartment where she lived with their three-year-old daughter.
James Purdue, of Belcamp Crescent, Coolock, parked his car in the car park of the Beach, Grattan Wood Apartments, Donaghmeade, shortly after 1am on June 19, 2006. He was making his way to his girlfriend, Nicole O’Beirne’s flat, when he was shot twice by a gunman and fatally injured.
Ms O’Beirne said she was sitting watching TV when she heard two bangs, which she thought sounded like plates smashing, followed by screaming.
“He came in and fell to the ground between the sofa and kitchen table and said I’ve been shot, get an ambulance,” said Ms O’Beirne.
Mr Purdue, who was returning from the Guilio’s chipper in Baldoyle, was breathing rapidly with a faint pulse when gardaí arrived, but was unresponsive and stopped breathing a short time later, despite active CPR.
A postmortem found Mr Purdue died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen, which caused massive haemorrhage.
A neighbour, John Clancy, heard a gunman give a celebratory shout after shooting the man dead, before jumping into the back of a Honda Civic car with at least one accomplice.
The jury returned a verdict of death by unlawful killing by persons unknown under the direction of Dr Farrell.
The coroner expressed his condolences to both families at the conclusion of both inquests (held separately) and appealed to anyone who has information in relation to either death to come forward and to assist the gardaí in their inquiries.
“We’ve had two tragic and violent inquests today, both homicides and it must be of great concern to everybody in the community to note the facility with which guns are available in Dublin and in other parts of the country,” said Dr Farrell.
THE family of Keith Fitzsimons said his untimely death was the source of unimaginable pain and it was “unbearable to know those involved have not been brought to justice”.
Surrounded by 25 family members, his uncle, Anthony Fitzsimons, said Keith’s untimely death has been the source of unbearable grief for the family, especially for his mother, Esther.
“Keith’s murder was described as him being in the wrong place at the wrong time... there should be no such thing,” said Mr Fitzsimons. “Keith was not involved in criminal activity of any kind. He was innocently walking home after a night out with friends when his life was taken. It is unbearable for us to know that those involved have not been brought to justice.
“We know we will never have Keith back, but we wish to appeal to those with information to come forward to the police so that there can be some justice for Keith and some closure for Esther.
“Someone has the information needed. They know who they are and we ask them to examine their conscience and to imagine what it would be like to lose someone special in this way.”
He said they understand the pain of the family of Shane Geoghegan, the 28-year-old shot dead in Limerick recently.
“They (the culprits) just don’t realise the damage they do,” he added.
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