Video: British Army murder of deaf and mute man Eamonn McDevitt recalled

» Mark Moloney

'It was plain Eamonn had been a wholly innocent person and, in the circumstances, it seemed impossible that no disciplinary action had been taken in relation to this killing'

THE murder of 28-year-old Eamonn McDevitt on 19 August 1971 by the British Army in Strabane, County Tyrone, was recalled in a segment on the 'Hands On' programme on RTÉ at the weekend.

The deaf and mute man was killed as he was walking home from a friend's house on Fountain Street in the Border town. At the time of his shooting there had been rioting further down the street and the British Army claimed he had been brandishing a firearm. This allegation was rejected by dozens of eyewitnesses. 

Reacting to the killing at the time, the Irish Government said it appeared he was "picked out by the soldiers as a person to be shot" because he stood out noticeably in his red shirt:

"It was plain [Eamonn] had been a wholly innocent person and, in the circumstances, it seemed impossible that no disciplinary action had been taken in relation to this killing."

His brother Sammy, himself a former soldier, told the RTÉ programme:

"All we want is an apology, both verbal and written, that [the British Army] were wrong and that they were sorry for what happened. That's all we want."