Sean McKee

Sean McKee 17 years, Ladbrook Drive, Ardoyne, North Belfast, shot dead in Ardoyne on 18 May 1973, by members of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment.

Sean McKee was an only son. He attended Holy Cross Primary School at Ardoyne and St. Gabriel’s Secondary School on the Crumlin Road. When he left school he served his time as an apprentice asphalter. 

Sean McKee was an active member of the IRA member, and on Friday 18 May 1973, along with other youths he was involved in either moving weapons or planning an attack on the British Army barracks at Flax Street Mill in the Ardoyne area. During the morning and early afternoon of the 18th Sean and the other youths could be seen going in and out of a house in Fairfield Street, in Ardoyne. 

Shortly after 3.30pm as Sean McKee made his way along Fairfield Street a single shot rang out hitting him in the chest and killing him almost instantly. 

A British soldier situated in an empty house in Butler Street fired the fatal shot. The soldier was part of a covert military unit that had moved into the house during the early hours of the morning. 

Fairfield Street ran off Butler Street, and the house the soldiers were in faced almost directly down the former street. 

Soldiers inside the house in Butler Street also fired several shots at the ground near the youth’s body, preventing residents in Fairfield Street from going to the youth’s aid. Shortly after the shooting a British army armoured ambulance arrived at the scene. Soldiers got out of the vehicle and lifted the body of the youth and literally, according to residents, threw him into the back of the vehicle. Residents shouted their protests at the callousness of soldiers in handling the body. A Catholic priest arrived at the scene after the body was put into the vehicle tried to gain access to administer the Last Rites, but was refused. When the priest had approached the army ambulance and asked to see the youth a voice from inside shouted ‘No one is getting in here.’ The ambulance was then driven off. 

The RUC issued a statement about the shooting later that evening, which was carried in the Press the following day. They claimed a patrol of paratroopers saw a man take up a firing position at the door of a house in Fairfield Street. ‘The troops opened fire and the man fell to the ground. An Armalite rifle was found beside him.’ It was also reported at the time that the dead youth was taking aim at a British army observation post when shot. No shots were fired at the soldiers.

An inquest into the death of Sean McKee was held in September 1974. None of the British soldiers involved in the shooting attended. A military representative read out their statements, each soldier being identified as ‘Soldier ‘A,’’B,’ ‘C,’ and ‘D.’ 

The hearing was told the youth died on the first day of a ‘planned military operation.’ Counsel for the Northern Ireland Office said a four man military unit had moved into 26 Butler Street during the early morning of 18 May 1973, after it was claimed a sniper had been operating in the area. From the house in Butler Street the soldiers could see directly down Fairfield Street. The soldiers said that from their vantage point they were able to observe over a period of time McKee and the other youths going in an out of a house in Fairfield Street.

One of the four man covert unit, known as ‘Solider ‘A,’ said a few minutes before the shooting two youths he had seen earlier with McKee, one of whom had what appeared to be gun, tried to get into the house they were using as an observation post in Butler Street, but the door was bolted. ‘Then McKee was seen coming out of a house in Fairfield Street. He produced an Armalite rifle from inside his coat and took aim in the Butler Street direction.’

Soldier ‘A’ said at this point he assumed the youth’s target was one of his company patrols and fired a round at McKee’s chest. McKee fell to the ground and dropped the rifle. Soldier ‘A’ said he fired three more shots to prevent local people moving the body or taking the weapon, which was recovered. 

In the statement of another soldier it was claimed they chose the house in Butler Street because it was quite possible gunmen had used the house in the past as a firing position to mount attacks on their Flax Street Mill barrack. 

The hearing returned an open verdict.

The evidence at Sean McKee’s inquest suggests a covert British military operation set up with the intention of shooting suspects rather than arresting them. The soldiers admitted they had observed Sean McKee and others over a long period of time going in and out of a house in Fairfield Street. They also claimed some of the youths who came out of Fairfield Street and tried to get into the house they were hiding in ‘appeared’ to be armed. This the soldiers admitted occurred sometime before they shot Sean McKee. 

From the soldiers own evidence it is clear no attempt at arresting the youths was even contemplated. It was stated it was first day of a ‘planned military operation.’ The soldiers were obviously in radio contact with their base, only several hundred yards away. By taking over the house in Butler Street, which the army claimed had been used before by gunmen, they ruled out any chance of a gun attack on their base at Flax Street Mill from there. However, the covert unit allowed a military foot-patrol to enter Butler Street, waited for whoever came out of the house in Fairfield Street to approached its junction with Butler Street and calmly shot the person dead. Then they fired three shots at residents to ensure the rifle the youth was reportedly carrying was not taken away. The rifle they apparently required to justify the killing. 

No British soldiers were ever charged in connection with the killing of Sean McKee.