If PSNI had shot gunman who murdered Lyra, the cry would be: ‘shoot to kill’

What would have happened if the PSNI had shot the criminal IRA gunman just as he was about to fire those fatal shots on Thursday night?
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Apr 2019, 18:24 BST
Updated 26th Apr 2019, 18:28 BST
Armed police at the scene in Creggan, Londonderry, the night Lyra was shot. What would the reaction have been if one of those PSNI officers had been killed? Photo: Niall Carson/PA WireArmed police at the scene in Creggan, Londonderry, the night Lyra was shot. What would the reaction have been if one of those PSNI officers had been killed? Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Armed police at the scene in Creggan, Londonderry, the night Lyra was shot. What would the reaction have been if one of those PSNI officers had been killed? Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Almost certainly the life of the inimitable, much loved Lyra McKee would have been spared, however the nightmare for the PSNI would be just beginning.

Most likely the first person on the scene would be Sinn Fein/IRA politicians, screaming ‘Shoot to Kill’ and demanding that the PSNI be removed from the streets.

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Not to be outdone the SDLP would join the condemnation. Would Alliance fence sit? The ‘human rights’ organisations would issue dark statements hinting at political policing, state agents and collusion.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

The Police Ombudsman would find dozens of witnesses claiming that the young harmless gunman was laying down his weapon and could have been arrested as he was no threat to anyone.

Mr Vardakar would demand a full explanation from the secretary of state and UK government.

Nancy Pelosi would use it to warn about the Good Friday Agreement. The gunman would be accorded a full IRA funeral with the PSNI forced to stay away.

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Further down the line our public interest lawyers would reap yet more public funds through repeated inquests and judicial reviews into the incident.

Mary Lou, never one to miss a terrorist glorifying opportunity, might unveil a plaque in a play park dedicated to the gunman, honouring him as one of the ‘Patriot Dead’.

The above is not a far fetched ‘what if ramble’!

Instead it is the stark reality of what is happening here each week with our one sided ‘legacy’ process and the publicly funded, civic nationalist-supported Sinn Fein/PIRA rewrite of history.

Lyra McKee was gunned down by the same type of scum who murdered Mary Travers, Joanne Mathers, Patsy Gillespie, set out to kill in Loughgall and beat Paul Quinn to death.

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Over the past days it has been repeatedly emphasised that Lyra was killed doing her job, that is so correct and the exact same can also be said for 18-year-old Mohammed Abdul Khalid whose bullet ridden body was discovered in south Armagh 45 years ago this week. A poor immigrant from Pakistan he, like Lyra, was murdered by PIRA republican thugs because of his humble job in an army canteen.

Lyra and her family deserve and must get justice and so too must Mo Khalid and the countless victims of PIRA, including the families of Paul Quinn and Robert McCartney.

Tom Nash, Lisburn

Related topics:PSNIIRASinn FeinSDLP