A former British soldier is facing murder charges in connection with the killings of Northern Irish civil rights demonstrators on Bloody Sunday in January 1972. In one of the darkest days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, British soldiers shot 28 unarmed civilians during a protest march against internment, killing 14. There were 18 suspects in the killings, including 16 former soldiers, but only one will face charges. The Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland, Stephen Herron, said: “It has been concluded that there is sufficient available evidence to prosecute one former soldier, Soldier F, for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney; and for the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.” The ex-serviceman has not been named. A public inquiry into the killings found they were “unjustified” and that none of the 14 dead was carrying a gun, no warnings were given, and no soldiers were under threat.
