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A GROUP OF up to 150 people have protested for the second day in a row following the fatal shooting of George Nkencho.
Nkencho (27) was shot multiple times by gardai outside his home in Clonee, west of Dublin, on Wednesday.
Mr Nkencho reportedly brandished a knife and threatened Gardai before he was shot by members of the Blanchardstown Garda Armed Support Unit.
In a statement on Twitter, Nkencho’s sister, Gloria, said that “he suffered from a serious mental illness and those who knew him know the type of person he was, he was not a bully or a criminal.”
On Friday, a group of about 150 people held a candlelight vigil before marching from the Spire on Dublin’s O’Connell Street to Garda Station on Pearse Street.
The protesters chanted “no justice, no peace”, “say his name, George Nkencho” and then, “five shots killed him” and “fuck the police.”
Source: PA Images
Those gathered wore black, wore face masks, and largely adhered to social distancing measures.
Signs were put up with the words “Black lives matter” and “Thug is not synonymous with black.”
Several people spoke at the meeting, most of them young people in their early 20s.
They were critical of the gardai and also spoke out against Ireland’s direct provision system.
About a dozen uniformed Gardai attended but stayed away from the protesters, who remained at peace throughout the event.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee said yesterday that she understood the “concern and discomfort” that the incident had caused.
She told RTE: “I think everyone, including the guards, understands the current concern and discomfort. Therefore, they are actively engaging with the community.
“It is extremely important that we allow the process to run its course. GSOC (Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission) has already started that investigation and obviously we need to know all the facts about what happened. “
Writing on Twitter, McEntee said: “Gardai is engaging with the local community and I know they understand their concerns and anxieties.
“We are fortunate to have very few police related deaths in Ireland, but all are fully and independently investigated by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.
“The GSOC is headed by a Supreme Court Justice, and its independent investigation has already begun into the events in Hartstown.”
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Gardai was called to a business location in Hartstown on the Co Meath / Dublin border at 12.15pm on Wednesday.
In a statement, Garda said there was a chase on foot and the man threatened officers with a knife.
“Members of the Armed Support Unit arrived at a location on Manorfields Drive, Dublin 15,” the statement said.
“The Armed Support Unit was also threatened with a knife and implemented a gradual police response in which the use of less-than-lethal force options was initially administered in an effort to resolve the incident.
“The less lethal use of force options were unsuccessful and several shots were fired with an official Garda firearm at approximately 12:35 pm”
Gardai is understood to have unsuccessfully used a Taser gun and pepper spray before they were fired.
Mr. Nkencho was treated at the scene before being transferred to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, where he was pronounced dead.
The GSOC was notified of the incident and attended the scene. Investigations continue.
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