Ballymurphy Inquest: Man saw brother 'being shot by soldier'

Ten people were killed in the shootings at Ballymurphy in west Belfast in 1971

A man has told the Ballymurphy Inquest in Belfast that he stood at his bedroom window and watched his elder brother being shot by the Army.

Robert Russell's house overlooked the Manse field area and he said he was aware of shooting and screaming there when he looked out.

He said he was 12 or 13 years old at the time.

Gerard Russell survived the shooting, but suffers from ill-health and has not given evidence to the current inquest.

• Ballymurphy shootings: Who were the victims?

The inquest is looking into the fatal shootings of 10 people in Ballymurphy in west Belfast in August 1971.

The shootings happened amid disturbances sparked by the introduction of internment without trial in Northern Ireland.

Manse field area opposite the Henry Taggart Hall

Robert Russell who told the court he recalled watching an Army Saracen drive from the Henry Taggart Army base, across the road and into the field, where several British soldiers climbed out.

He said he watched one soldier walk over to a clump of felled trees in the Manse field and use his rifle to shoot someone lying prone on the ground several times.

Mr Russell said he watched the body jerk.

He then saw a different soldier with others over at the gates of the field, which led to the Springfield Road.

He recognised his 19-year-old brother Gerard by his coat, and saw that he was trying to leave the field where he had been taking cover.

Robert Russell said the soldier fired a handgun at his brother around three times.

Again, he saw the body jerk.

He told the court that at this time he did not see anyone in the field with a weapon or firing at the Army.

Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment were based at Henry Taggart Army base

He did say that some hours earlier he had listened as a man a number of yards away from him on Glenalina Road had fired 20-30 rounds from an automatic weapon at the Henry Taggart Army base.

He remembered hearing later that it was a member of the Official IRA using a sub-machine gun.

He recalled that local people were angry with the gunman for putting everyone around him in danger.

Robert Russell, who was one of a number of republican prisoners that broke out of the Maze Prison in September 1983, has already testified at the inquest with regard to the death of John McKerr.

Mr McKerr, a 49-year-old former soldier with the Scottish Fusiliers, was shot outside the old Corpus Christi Parish.

He had been working as a joiner at Corpus Christi Church on Westrock Drive in west Belfast.

He was shot and injured on 11 August 1971, and died in hospital a week later.

During Robert Russell's evidence on Wednesday, he was challenged about differences in his various statements since the late 1990s.

Taking cover

Later, a man told the inquest he had lain under fire in the Manse field alongside two young boys, one of whom was later shot and badly injured.

Francis Notarantonio said that after the shooting started he had been running for cover alongside Noel Phillips, who was shot and went down screaming.

Mr Phillips was one of four people who died from their injuries sustained in the Manse field that day.

Mr Notarantonio, who was 14 years old at the time, said when he took cover seconds later near a fallen tree he was with Martin and Edward Butler, who were aged nine and 11.

He said he encouraged the boys to get down and take cover.

As they lay there he said he later saw soldiers arrive in an armoured vehicle and saw a soldier fire some shots towards the ground.

He could not see at what or whom the soldier was aiming.

He described how Edward later made a run towards a gap in a fence and was shot in the upper thigh, and seriously injured.

Mr Notarantonio said he held Martin down to stop him from trying to make the same run after his elder brother.

Later some people from nearby houses helped the boys to escape after dark.

Both Butler brothers have already testified at the inquest.

Mr Notarantonio said he did not see shooting from the field or anyone there with a weapon.