George Nkencho's family initiate High Court actions against Garda Commissioner, Minister for Justice and the State

The family of George Nkencho have initiated High Court personal injury actions against the Garda Commissioner, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and the Irish State arising from the 27-year-old's death in 2020.

Actions by Gloria Nkencho and her younger brother Victor have been lodged, solicitor David Harrington of Harringtons LLP solicitors, confirmed on Thursday to the Irish Times.

The actions reportedly involve claims for nervous shock arising from the death of George Nkencho on December 30th 2020. He was shot dead by a member of the Garda Armed Support Unit outside his home in Clonee, Dublin 15, during a stand-off with gardaí.

George had no previous criminal convictions and was armed with a knife at the time. He was also suffering from mental health difficulties, with his family witnessing his death outside their home.

An inquest has been repeatedly adjourned pending the conclusion of an inquiry by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).

Following his death, gardaí claimed they had tried multiple non-lethal tactics to subdue George Nkencho before using deadly force. Last June, coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said Nkencho died from “multiple gunshots wounds to the trunk with no contributory factors” before adjourning the matter.

At the time, GSOC said its inquiry was “partway” complete and that it hoped to have it finished by the end of last year. It said in December that this deadline would not be met due to the “demands of the investigation”.

The full inquest cannot take place until the investigation concludes but it could be delayed further if GSOC decides to recommend to the Director of Public Prosecutions that charges be brought over the shooting.

Barrister Seán Rafter, who is representing the Nkencho family, previously asked the inquest to examine the “broader circumstances of a young black man who died at the hands of a white police officer”.

He said the inquest should consider “broader questions of policing and discrimination”, while George's family were highly concerned about racially-motivated "nasty rumours and lies” which spread online in the wake of the incident.

George had resided in the area for 16 years, attending Blakestown Community School and playing football for Insaka-Glentoran and St Mochtas FC.

Emmanuel Nkencho paid tribute to his brother on what would have been his 28th birthday last November, writing: “It’s nearly been a whole year since you've been taken from us. Sh*t hasn’t got any easier. Happy birthday big bro. Would have been 28 today. Hope you're having a ball up there, keep watching over us until we meet again.”

“This is an unimaginable pain that I do not wish upon anyone," George's sister Gloria said last year. "The death of my brother has caused a vacuum in my home. My mother has described it as a wound that can never heal. My family are forced to relive our trauma every day when we walk past his room, when we walk down the stairs and see where we stood as he was shot and killed. We see the bullet holes on the door by our window. This shouldn’t have happened, he didn’t deserve to die. He needed help, not bullets.

“He is not here to speak for himself so we must. We need a full, public, independent investigation into his death. We need truth and justice. My brother is gone and will not be coming back. What we can do is ensure that his death is not in vain, that it never happens to another family again and the most vulnerable people in our society are given the care that they need."

Firearms are only meant to be discharged if there is an imminent and serious threat, it should be noted. There have been previous, similar public order incidents involving Gardaí and members of the public, where those being followed by Gardaí were arrested without any resort to the use of guns.