Some of the 13 civilian civil rights marchers shot dead on Bloody Sunday were killed during a gun battle between soldiers and the IRA, the Saville Inquiry heard today.
Mr Neil Falkingham, a uniformed police sergeant at the time, told day 231 of the inquiry he believed the first gunfire he heard on January 30th, 1972 came from a Thompson sub machine gun, a weapon used by the IRA in the 1970s.
A retired officer with 40 years experience, Mr Falkingham was screened from the public and press while giving his evidence at the Guildhall in Derry amid fears for his safety.
He was on duty at an Army barrier in William Street on the day 13 men were shot dead by British soldiers in the city. A 14th man died later from the injuries he sustained on the day.
Under questioning from Mr Arthur Harvey QC, counsel for many of the families, Mr Falkingham said he stood over the statement he submitted to the inquiry.
In it, he said: "In my previous statement I say that at least two weapons were being used and they sounded like the Thompson type of sub machine gun.
"I confirm that the automatic gunfire lasted for about 45 seconds. I then heard high velocity gunfire which I knew to be the sound of Army issue rifles.
"The sound of the Thompson and the high velocity fire almost certainly overlapped for a short time. It could be described as an exchange of gunfire between opposing sides," he added.
Mr Falkingham told Mr Harvey that he thought a number of people died in the gun battle. When asked if he believed that "persons died because the army were engaged by the IRA in a gun battle?", Mr Falkingham replied: "There was obviously a lot of shots fired and there was a gun battle, yes."
Mr Falkingham said other than the two types of gunfire, he heard no other explosions or gunfire during the day.
"I am familiar with the sound of nail bombs, blast bombs and petrol bombs and I do not recall hearing any such explosions," he said. "I did not see any civilians carrying arms."
Mr Falkingham, whose duty on the day was to identify rioters among the crowd, rejected any suggestion that he had consulted with fellow officers before completing his report following the shootings.
In his statement, he said he was "familiar with the rioting which frequently occurred in Derry in those days".
"I would say that the rioting on Bloody Sunday was particularly vicious," he added.
PA