Man sent text to friends before shooting himself, inquest hears

A 46 year old man sent a text indicating plans to end his life before shooting himself with a rifle, an inquest heard. 

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard harrowing details of the text a man sent to five friends on April 21 last. “In shed. Goodbye. Can’t suffer this pain anymore,” the text read.The man’s wife was away working when he took his .22 rifle to a shed behind his home in a rural village in the west of Ireland.

The man’s wife was away working when he took his .22 rifle to a shed behind his home in a rural village in the west of Ireland.

The five friends that received the text rushed to the shed separately and found the man lying on the shed floor, critically injured.

An ambulance was called and the man was airlifted to hospital. He was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where neurosurgeons found pellet fragments had caused widespread trauma to his brain and the man was pronounced dead two days later.

The man’s wife said ‘he had been in bad form for a couple of weeks.’ The five recipients of the text were also aware the man had been feeling down.

A post-mortem report carried out on April 24 2015 by Dr Michael Farrell found the cause of death was cranio-cerebral trauma due to a shotgun wound to the head. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of death by suicide. The coroner commended the family for their generous decision to donate their loved one' organs.

Cullinane returned a verdict of death by suicide. The coroner commended the family for their generous decision to donate their loved one' organs.

“The benefit to others is some small solace to you I hope,” Dr Cullinane said.

"It’s very difficult for you to have to attend court and for the whole family. From the evidence that we have heard it is clear he would have immediately lost consciousness,” the coroner said.

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