An eye-witness to a pub shooting told a murder trial yesterday that she saw a gunman aim directly at Limerick man, Eddie Ryan.
In the Central Criminal Court, the prosecution alleges that the accused man, Mr Paul Coffey, drove the getaway car for two gunmen who entered the Moose Bar and shot Mr Ryan dead.
Mr Coffey (26), whose last address was at Craeval Park, Moyross, Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Edward (Eddie) Ryan (41), of Hogan Avenue, Kileely, Limerick, at Cathedral Place in Limerick city on November 12th, 2000. The accused man is originally from Derryfada, Clonlara, Co Clare.
Witnesses told the trial that shortly before 10 p.m. on November 12th, two men wearing dark clothes and balaclavas burst into the Moose Bar in Cathedral Place and began shooting.
Ms Linda Garvey, who was drinking in the pub at the time, said that before her boyfriend pulled her to the ground, she saw a man holding a gun.
"I seen it aiming over at Eddie Ryan, like," she said. She agreed with prosecution counsel, Mr Shane Murphy SC, that she saw flashes coming from the gun.
Mr Ryan was shot 11 times and died of multiple gunshot wounds to the trunk, Deputy State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the trial.
A post-mortem showed he was not intoxicated at the time of his death, but there were signs of recent cannabis use and a history of intravenous drug use.
Mrs Mary Reddin and her daughter Deirdre, who were drinking in the pub, were shot and injured during the attack. Witnesses said there was "sheer pandemonium" when the shooting began.
Another customer, Mr Pat Crawford, told the trial the gunmen appeared to know where their victim was sitting.
"When they came through the door, they pointed their guns in his direction and they began to shoot," he said.
Witnesses whose evidence was uncontested by the defence said more shots were fired as the gunmen left the scene, a number of them from the front passenger seat of the getaway car through the pub's windows.
The prosecution case is that Mr Coffey aided the gunmen by acting as getaway driver and taking directions from them.
As a participant he was as guilty of murder as the men who shot Mr Ryan, the prosecution alleges.
Yesterday, legal issues began in the absence of the jury before Mr Justice Abbott, and the jury was sent away until July 15th.