'No reason for shots': BBC man

13 people died on Bloody Sunday

A journalist has told the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Londonderry he thought soldiers were firing CS gas canisters on the day of the shootings - because he could see no reason for them to be firing live bullets.

The inquiry is examining the events of 30 January 1972 when British soldiers opened fire on a civil rights march in the city.

Thirteen people were killed on the day. Another man died later in hospital.

David Capper - who was working for the BBC in 1972 - told the inquiry that when the soldiers got out of their armoured cars at the Rossville Flats, in the Bogside, they began shooting immediately.

"The soldiers were definitely not coming under any fire as far as I could see and they were standing up straight and making no effort to take any cover, he said."

Mr Capper said he assumed the soldiers were shooting gas grenades.

Act of bravado

Earlier, before the troops moved in, Mr Capper said he heard a shot he thought may have been directed at soldiers.

Then he saw a man in a brown overcoat place a handgun into his pocket and melt into the crowd.

He told the inquiry that people around the gunman scattered when he fired the shot and, Mr Capper added: "I got out of the way too because I realised there might be shots coming back from the Army."

The gunman's shot was "more an act of bravado with a small gun, I do not think he had a hope of hitting anybody, he just blasted off and scarpered", he said.

If you wanted to be able to do your job, you generally turned a blind eye

David Capper

Mr Capper told the original Widgery Inquiry of 1972 he did not see the gunman.

But in his evidence on Friday he said: "In those days you saw a great deal of illegal activity, let us say on the part of various groups, organisations, police, army.

"If you wanted to be able to do your job, you generally turned a blind eye.

"If you had seen somebody murder somebody, of course you would report that.

"But in an incident such as that, I think my feelings were that I did not want to get involved in identification parades and things of that nature."

Mr Capper said in his statement to the inquiry that debris was being thrown from the high-rise Rossville Flats onto the soldiers below and in his commentary on tape he had stated: "There have been some live rounds fired both by the troops and apparently some of the civilians here".

He told the hearing: "I can only assume that it was because I had seen soldiers taking cover behind the walls opposite me that I felt that it was something to put in it.

"But it was not intended for broadcast, it was something to check."

I will never forget what one paratrooper said to his dog: 'There's plenty of fresh meat for you, we shot nine of these bastards today'

Willam McCloskey

The inquiry later heard evidence from a man who was arrested on Bloody Sunday after the shootings.

William McCloskey, then 41, admitted throwing stones at soldiers blocking the way of the civil rights demonstration.

He described running away and hearing shots fired after him.

He told of rescuing an injured man Michael Bridge and taking him to a house which was later raided by soldiers.

Witness refused to swear oath

Mr McCloskey said during the arrest he was put into a lorry in which English-born, ex-sailor, Duncan Stewart Clarke, was shot in the face at close range with a plastic bullet.

Mr McCloskey said of his arrival at Fort George barracks:

"There were paratroopers, soldiers from other regiments and RUC men all around us.

"Some were handling large Alsatians which were barking and growling. I will never forget what one of the paratroopers, a Scotsman, said to one of the dogs.

"He said in a thick Scottish accent loud enough for those arrested to hear, 'Don't be fretting now boy. There's plenty of fresh meat for you, we shot nine of these bastards today.' "

Mr McCloskey refused to swear an oath or affirmation before giving evidence.

He said: "I make my oath to God above, I do not have to read it from a piece of paper." Mr McCloskey is due back in the witness box on Monday when the inquiry resumes.