A pathologist who carried out a post mortem on the body of journalist Lyra McKee told a court on Friday that she died from a bullet wound to the head.
Dr Christopher Johnston was called to the witness box at Belfast Crown Court and revealed he carried out an autopsy on the remains of the 29-year old on Friday April 19, 2019.
At the time, he was the assistant state pathologist for Northern Ireland and he conducted the examination at the Regional Forensic Mortuary in Belfast.
Dr Johnston said that prior to carrying out the post mortem, he was provided with clinical notes which indicated Ms McKee had suffered a cardiac arrest and had no pulse when she arrived at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry at 11.21pm the previous night.
The court heard that despite medical attempts to resuscitate Ms McKee, she was pronounced dead at 11.35pm.
Dr Johnston was then asked by a Crown barrister to summarise his post mortem report and he said: “I was informed that Lyra McKee had been observing rioting on the Creggan Estate on the 18th of April 2019 when a gunman emerged from the crowd and shots were fired.
“She was struck by a bullet, sustained a cardiac arrest at the scene and she died despite attempts at cardiac resuscitation.
“The bullet struck the right side of her head ...and travelled in a horizontal plane from right to left,” he said adding that it would “have caused immediate unconsciousness and very rapid death.”
Three Derry men have been charged with her murder, possessing a firearm and ammunition and other linked offences including rioting and both possessing and throwing petrol bombs.
The trio are Paul McIntyre (56) from Kells Walk, 23-year old Jordan Devine from Bishop Street and Peter Cavanagh (35) from Mary Street.
It’s the Crown’s case that whilst none of these three defendants were the gunman who fired the fatal shot that killed Ms Kee, their actions at the scene “are demonstrative of their involvement in the joint enterprise to possess and fire the weapon with the requisite intent for murder.”
Seven co-accused, also from Derry, are facing charges including rioting and throwing petrol bombs.
They are Christopher Gillen (43) from Balbane Pass, Joseph Campbell (23) from Gosheden Gardens, 32-year old Patrick Gallagher from John Field Place, Jude McCrory (26) from Gartan Square, Joseph Barr (36) from Sandringham Drive, 55-year old Kieran McCool from Ballymagowan Gardens and William Elliot (57), who is also from Ballymagowan Gardens. All ten defendants have denied the charges levelled against them.
The non-jury trial is due to resume on June 13.