Witnesses saw accused 'waving gun' before shooting postmaster

Witnesses who saw a Kilkenny postmaster being shot say they saw a man stopping and waving a gun at the postmaster as he chased the man along Kilkenny’s Wolfe Tone Street.

Shu Shen, a Chinese national, formerly of The Old Rectory, New Ross, Co Wexford admits the manslaughter of Alan Cunniffe, 32, on December 8, 2006 but he denies his murder.

Mr Alex Owens SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the DPP would not accept Shen’s manslaughter plea.

Shen, 25, has pleaded guilty to stealing money over the value of €13,000 from the post office on John’s Green in Kilkenny and being in possession of a firearm with intent to commit robbery in relation to the same incident.

Paul Maher told the Central Criminal Court at Dublin, he was in Wolfe Tone Street when he saw two men arguing near his car and noticed one of them had a gun.

“I could hear someone say ‘give it to me’, or ‘give me back’, I don’t know exactly what it was but it was loud shouting,” he told Mr Owens.

He saw the man who was wearing a balaclava stopping and waving a gun before running off again.

He then saw Mr Cunniffe try to pull a bag off the man.

“I seen and heard bang,” he said.

Mr Justice Paul Carney and the court heard from Margaret Cullinan who said the men stopped and faced each other twice.

“The first man would stop and turn around and shake something in his left hand.”

She heard a bang as the two men were near the doctor's surgery and saw Mr Cunniffe fall to the pavement.

Shen is represented by, Mr Paul Coffey SC.

The trial continues.