This morning.

RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

Supporters, including People Before Profit TD Brid Smith (pic 2) and members of George Nkencho’s family, including sister Gratefull (above right) with mum Blessing (in orange) and dad Frank (above centre) gather ahead of Mr Nkencho’s Inquest, which was opened briefly and adjourned at the Dublin Coroner’s Court sitting in the RDS.

Last December’s shooting is the subject of an inquiry by the Garda Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) and an inquest cannot get fully under way until all investigations are complete.

Inquest opens into death of George Nkencho killed in garda shooting (Independent.ie)

Last week: Maximim Force

RollingNews

Viewer discretion advised.

FD writes:

Last December George Nkencho a young black man with a history of mental illness was shot and killed by the Gardai in the front garden of his Dublin home.

Shortly beforehand it is alleged that George had punched or slapped a worker in the local shopping area and it’s also claimed that George was carrying a small knife.

Regardless of those alleged crimes we believe the use of lethal force by the police was grossly disproportionate and that the 12-15 Gardai present should have been able to subdue George and arrest him.

The video above was recorded from the green opposite the Nkencho family home and captures the 5 shots which killed George. The video has been slowed and captioned so that the sequence of events can be better understood. (The video should be viewed on a larger screen like a laptop or tablet if possible.)

The BBC have covered the story in a Newsnight piece and have broadcast the same video though not with slow motion or with captions.

The Nkencho family’s grief was compounded by a torrent of racist and libelous misinformation about George which was systematically organised to justify the police killing and as a means to sow division between our communities in the aftermath of George’s death.

The Irish state like many others has a very poor record in holding the police force to account and so we believe that if the Nkencho family are to receive justice in this case it’s crucial that this video is widely viewed so that large numbers of people understand exactly what happened to George.

Previously: George Nkencho on Broadsheet

This morning/afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Gloria Nkencho, sister of George Nkencho, speaks outside Leinster House as the Nkencho family and TDs call for a public investigation into the Garda killing of her brother during a stand off in Blanchardstown last month.

Ms Nkencho said:

“I never thought I would be standing here in these circumstances, addressing the public about such a tragedy that’s happened to my family.

“This is an unimaginable pain I do not wish upon anyone. The death of my brother has caused a vacuum in my home.

“My mother described it as a wound that will never heal. My family are forced to relive the trauma when we walk past his room, walk down the stairs and see where we stood when he was shot and killed.

“We see the bullet holes in our windows.  This shouldn’t have happened. George did not deserve to die. He needed help, not bullets. My brother was a person, not an animal.

“We need a full public, independent investigation into his death. We need truth and we need justice. We need the public to come together and demand what is right. This is not a time for us to be divided. A life was taken, a life that mattered and meant something. My brother is gone and will not be coming back.

“What we can do is to ensure that his death is not in vain, that it never happens to another family again and that the most vulnerable people in our society are given the care that they need.”

George Nkencho ‘needed help, not bullets’ says sister as she calls for full public inquiry into shooting (Ferghal Blaney, Irish Mirror)

Previously: Looking For Answers

RollingNews

Last night.

Blanchardstown, Dublin

Supporters of the family of George Nkencho hold a candlelight procession from Church Road, Dublin 15 to Blanchardstown garda station where they held a vigil in his honour. Mr Nkencho was shot dead by gardaí during a stand-off outside his west Dublin home on December 30.

Previously: Meanwhile,In Blanchardstown

Sam Boal/RollingNews