Gardai were told George Nkencho had mental health issues, inquest told

Gardai at the scene where George Nkencho was shot dead in Dublin were informed via the Garda radio that he had mental health issues, an inquest heard.

A garda who was at the scene when George Nkencho was shot said he recognised him from previous mental health-related incidents, but could not remember his name.

A Garda dispatcher said she logged that Mr Nkencho had mental health issues around 10 minutes before he was shot dead.

Sergeant Deirdre Dempsey told the inquest on Thursday that she was told over the Garda radio system, Tetra, by a garda at the scene that Mr Nkencho had mental health issues.

She said she logged the information “male has mental health issues” at 12.26pm on the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, which would have been available to her control room colleagues.

She said that because the garda had shared the information over the Garda radio, all garda members at the scene would have been listening to the channel and would have been able to hear it.

At 12.36pm it was confirmed to the control room that Mr Nkencho was shot and was “gravely ill”.

Mr Nkencho, 27, died outside his home in west Dublin in December 2020 after being shot multiple times by a member or members of a Garda armed support unit.

The incident was the subject of an independent criminal investigation by the then Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), now Fiosru, which concluded in June 2023 with the submission of an investigative file to the director of public prosecutions.

After a decision was made not to pursue any criminal prosecution in relation to the shooting, an inquest into his death began this week at Dublin District Coroner’s Court.

On the third day of the inquest, a garda told the inquest about how he and two of his colleagues responded after reports that Mr Nkencho punched an assistant manager of a nearby shop and further reports that he was holding a knife.

Garda Desmond Mulvihill told the inquest they followed Mr Nkencho after the incident, at first in two cars and then by foot, with the aim of preventing members of the public being injured.

He said Mr Nkencho was approached by two of his colleagues and instructed several times to put the knife down, which he did not do.

Mr Mulvihill said that he recognised Mr Nkencho from assisting with previous mental health-related issues, but could not remember his name or where he lived.

He said that he only realised when Mr Nkencho walked into his front garden that it was his home.

He said there were over five members of An Garda Siochana at the home, including detectives and armed gardai, as Mr Nkencho stood in the driveway of the front garden.

Asked if he informed his garda colleagues that Mr Nkencho was standing at his home, he said he said it aloud but did not share it on the garda radio system Tetra.

“There was an awful lot of shouting going on, but I did shout it.”

He said he was “terrified” and was a junior garda who had not had any previous experience with tasers or guns being used.

In his deposition, Mr Mulvihill said the armed gardai told Mr Nkencho repeatedly to drop the knife and refused to do so.

He described him as being “extremely violent and aggressive” as he swung the knife “erratically”.

He said the front door of the home opened at one point and revealed two females and one male in the doorway, who began shouting.

Gardai told them to get back inside, that it was dangerous, and asked them to close the door, which they did.

He said Gardai then tasered Mr Nkencho twice, resulting in him falling to the ground the second time, but he did not let go of the knife.

“He actually held the knife up while he was on the ground. The knife was still up in the air in his hand,” he told the inquest.

He said he was angrier when he got back up and he swung the knife again at “roughly head height” and “at their faces”, referring to the two armed gardai.

Mr Mulvihill said he then heard two gunshots but said Mr Nkencho continued to swing the knife “erratically”.

He said he heard further shots fired, and after Mr Nkencho was hit, medical assistance was administered “straight away”.

Mr Mulvihill went to the door of the family home and “tried to calm the family down”.

He said he did not know which member of the ASU (Armed Support Units) fired the shots.

“All eyes were on George Nkencho,” he said in his deposition in response to a question to indicate where the armed gardai were standing.

He said he could not tell who fired the tasers but said it was an ASU member.

“I wish to add that throughout this whole incident, there was clear and precise instructions for George Nkencho to drop the knife,” he said in his deposition.

Asked by the defence barrister whether he heard the family at the door say “our brother has mental health issues”, he said he did not hear that and could not make out what they were saying.

The defence barrister for Mr Nkencho’s family put it to Mr Mulvihill that his statements on the movements or the actions of the ASU members were “decidedly vague”.

Mr Mulvihill said he did not think so and that he was specific in his written statements, adding that he did not know the identity of the ASU members.

Earlier on Thursday, the inquest heard from a senior garda in the control room that day that time did not allow for a negotiator to be called to the scene.

A Garda dispatcher said there was no request for a negotiator from the scene and said that he did not see information shared by another dispatcher that Mr Nkencho had previous mental health issues.