Man shot pal while ‘joking’ with loaded gun

A man who claims he accidentally killed his friend as they joked around with a loaded gun has told the victim’s family that he loved him “like a brother”.

Dean Short, aged 21, of Lally Road, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Paul McCarthy, aged 18, at Myra Close, Emmet Road, Inchicore, in Dublin on May 9, 2011.

Detective Sergeant Michael McNulty told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court he was called to the scene shortly before 3pm and found Mr McCarthy lying on the floor with a single gunshot wound to the head.

The bullet had entered the right upper side of his face and come out the back of his skull. He was taken to hospital where his condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead a few hours later.

John Byrne, prosecuting, said earlier that day, five teenage friends had gathered in a bedroom when Mr McCarthy took a gun out of a bag and started waving it around and laughing.

Mr McCarthy said: “Boys, it doesn’t work, relax” before putting the gun down.

Short said “everyone was laughing, it was all a joke”, and he picked up the gun and pointed it at Mr McCarthy saying “How d’you like it now, Paulie?” before the gun went off.

“The thing just went off, like, and I froze, everything froze. The gun dropped out of my hands. I got down on my knees and knelt over Paul begging him to get up.”

Det Sgt McNulty said Short presented himself at Kilmainham Garda Station the following day with two of his friends who had been at the scene.

Michael O’Higgins, defending, referred to a private letter which his client had written to the McCarthy family telling them that he was “very, very sorry” and he had loved the victim “like a brother”.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the McCarthy family said Paul was very much loved as the only brother of eight sisters.

Short was remanded in custody for sentencing on Dec 2.