A 60-year-old man bled to death after he was shot in the left arm while working late at night near Macroom in Co Cork last year, an inquest has heard.
Derry Coakley, an agricultural contractor from Castle Street in Macroom, died from haemorrhage and shock after being shot at Raleigh North on October 23rd last.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster told the inquest at South Cork Coroner's Court that a postmortem indicated that Mr Coakley died from a gunshot wound to the arm.
Det Garda Alan O’Sullivan said gardaí responded to a call at 11.30pm on October 23rd saying a man had been shot and that he saw two men on the ground when he arrived to the scene at Raleigh North.
Det Garda O'Sullivan recognised one of the men as Richie Creedon. He was bent over helping Mr Coakley, who was lying on the ground bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to his left arm.
Rolling around
He said Mr Coakley was alive and rolling around when he arrived but then “deteriorated very rapidly”.
“He took his last breath just before the ambulance personnel arrived at the scene,” Det Garda O’Sullivan said. “They worked on him for a while trying to resuscitate him but they were unable to do so and it was after midnight that a local doctor pronounced that Mr Coakley had died.”
Supt Joe Moore applied to have the inquest adjourned under Section 25.2 of the Coroner's Act given that a man has been charged with Mr Coakley's murder and is currently before the courts.
Coroner Frank O’Connell adjourned the case for mention until the first quarter of next year. He said that in the event of the trial leading to a conviction or an acquittal, it was unlikely that he would resume the hearing as all the details regarding Mr Coakley’s death would have been heard at the trial.
Gerard Lynch (66) of Curraheen, Raleigh North, was charged last October with the murder of Mr Coakley. He is currently on bail and due to appear on the charge again at Macroom District Court on April 17th after he consented to gardaí being given extra time for service of the book of evidence against him.
