Bloody Sunday: Soldier F trial told of moment teenager shot in face

During the trial of Soldier F, a survivor of Bloody Sunday shared his harrowing experience of being shot in the face as he tried to escape. Michael Quinn, who was a 17-year-old schoolboy at the time in 1972, recounted how a bullet grazed his shoulder, struck his face, and exited through his nose as he attempted to run to safety from Glenfada Park in Londonderry. The accused, Soldier F, faces charges of murdering James Wray and William McKinney, as well as five charges of attempted murder, including Mr. Quinn’s.

On that fateful day in 1972, in the Bogside area of Derry, 13 people were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment during a civil rights demonstration. Soldier F is alleged to have targeted Wray, McKinney, and other individuals like Mr. Quinn, Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, and Joe Mahon. The non-jury trial of Soldier F commenced in Belfast recently, highlighting the tragic events that unfolded over 50 years ago.

Quinn recalled the chaos that ensued during the civil rights’ march, as he witnessed army gunfire and soldiers exhibiting aggressive behavior. He vividly described seeing a man being shot and the moment he himself was hit as he tried to seek cover in Glenfada Park. The testimonies from survivors like Quinn, as well as eyewitnesses such as John Shiels, shed light on the traumatic events that transpired on Bloody Sunday.

Soldier F, a former British soldier who served with the Army’s Parachute Regiment during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, faces the consequences of his alleged actions on that tragic day. Despite legal challenges and a temporary halt in prosecution, the trial of Soldier F has resumed in 2022, allowing for the exposure of the events that have haunted the survivors and families of those who lost their lives on Bloody Sunday

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