Overview
- The Belfast coroner, Mr Justice Scoffield, delivered a 640-page report Thursday that found two British soldiers lost control during the shootings.
- He ruled that Father Noel Fitzpatrick, Patrick Butler, David McCafferty and Margaret Gargan were unarmed and posed no threat when killed.
- The findings said Soldier A at Corry’s Timber Yard fired prematurely, killing Fitzpatrick, Butler and McCafferty, and that Soldier E shot 13-year-old Margaret Gargan in the face.
- On John Dougal, 16, the coroner said he was likely shot in the back while running away and that any force used by Soldier A was not reasonable.
- He rejected claims that soldiers faced a coordinated attack from mass gunmen, saying brigade radio logs undercut that account, though he noted some civilian shots were fired.