Violence - Draft List of Deaths Related to the Conflict in 2003

Draft List of Deaths Related to the Conflict in 2003

The following page has been compiled by Martin Melaugh to complement the Index of Deaths (1969-2001) by Malcolm Sutton. The information below is in draft form and should be treated with some caution. Some of the deaths listed below may be shown later to be unrelated to the conflict.

2 January 2003	Roy Green (32) Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) Shot dead outside the Kimberley bar in the Sunnyside Street area, close to the Ormeau Road, Belfast. [Killing believed to be a result of an internal Ulster Defence Association (UDA) dispute.]
1 February 2003	John Gregg (45) Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) Shot together with Robert Carson as they travelled in a taxi from the docks area of Belfast. [Internal Ulster Defence Association (UDA) dispute.]
1 February 2003	Robert Carson (33) Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) Shot together with John Gregg as they travelled in a taxi from the docks area of Belfast. [Internal Ulster Defence Association (UDA) dispute.]
12 March 2003	Keith Rogers (24) Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA), Killed by: unknown (republican) Shot dead in the village of Cullaville, County Armagh. [On 18 March 2003 the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) claimed the killing was the result of a feud between factions of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).]
8 May 2003	James Johnston (45) Protestant Status: Red Hand Commando (RHC), Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) Shot dead in the driveway of his home on the Ballyrobert Road near Crawfordsburn, County Down. [The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the killing may have been the result of a feud / dispute between Loyalist paramilitaries.]
11 May 2003 Disappeared	Gareth O'Connor (24) Catholic Status:"real" Irish Republican Army (rIRA), Killed by: unknown (republican) Disappeared while driving between his home in Armagh and Dundalk, Republic of Ireland. [His family claimed that the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PRIA) had abducted Gareth. The IRA denied any involvement in his disappearance.  On 11 June 2005 O'Connor's body was discovered in his car which was in Newry Canal, County Down. On 23 January 2017, The Irish News published information which claimed O'Connor had been a member of the rIRA and was acting as a security force agent (The Irish News, pages 1, 12, 13) when he was killed by 'several former associates'.]
28 May 2003	Alan McCullough (21) Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) Abducted and killed after leaving his home in the Shankill area of Belfast on 28 May 2003. His body was discovered on 5 June 2003 close to the Aughnabrack Road, County Antrim, on the outskirts of north Belfast. [Internal Ulster Defence Association (UDA) dispute.]
17 August 2003	Daniel McGurk (35) Catholic Status: Civilan (Civ), Killed by: "real" Irish Republican Army (rIRA) Shot dead at his home in Ross Street in the lower Falls Road area of west Belfast.
8 November 2003	John Allen (31) Protestant Status: Civilan (Civ), Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Shot and mortally wounded at his brother's home in Rasheen Park, Ballyclare, County Antrim. He died in hospital a few hours after being shot. [His family denied claims that he was a member of the UVF and that the shooting was a 'punishment' attack that had gone wrong.]
21 November 2003	James McMahon (21) Catholic Status: Civilan (Civ), Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) Mortally wounded by three masked Loyalists armed with baseball bats in Hancock Street, Lisburn, County Down. The attack took place on 20 November 2003 and McMahon died the following day.
Uncertain if conflict-related
19 January 2003	Richard Hamill (28) Protestant Status: Civilan (Civ), Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) Shot dead in a house in the St Gallen Court area of Bangor, County Down. [At the time it was unclear what the motivation for this killing was. On 18 February 2005 William Moore was sentenced for the killing. The gun was provided by the North Down faction of the UDA. (See: BBC.)]
1 March 2003	Michael O'Hare (36?) Catholic Status: Civilan (Civ), Killed by: Unknown? O'Hare was pulled from his burning flat at Dufferin Avenue in Bangor, County Down. Firefighters found him inside and brought him to an ambulance. However, he was pronounced dead a short time later. [The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) made no mention of paramilitary involvment at the time of this incident. This death was listed as paramilitary related by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) in its First Report published on 20 April 2004. However, in its Third Report published on 4 November 2004 the IMC stated that the death should not be attributed to a paramilitary group.]
11 October 2003	James McGinley (23) Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ), Killed by: Bartholomew Fisher Stabbed during an attack in Little James Street, Derry.  [On 3 March 2005 members of McGinley's family claimed that Bartholomew Fisher was a member of the IRA.]

Notes:

For deaths between 1969 and 2001 see:
Malcolm Sutton's on-line database of deaths 1969-2001
based on a revised and updated version of Malcolm Sutton's book.

See also:
Draft lists of (yearly) deaths related to the conflict (in separate Web pages):
2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012   2013   2014   2015   2016   2017   2018   2019   2020   2021   2022  
and
Draft list of deaths related to the conflict from 2002 to the present (in a single Web page).

Note on the photographs:
Most of the photographs in this section were provided by family members, relatives or friends of the person killed, to the local media at the time of death. In most cases the photographs were taken by a member of the family, a relative or a friend. At the time the photographs were provided to the local media, the name of the photographer was not recorded. No payment was made for the photograph. In some cases the original image was never returned.
Copyright of the photographs
Copyright © of the photographs remains with the (unknown) original photographer. If anyone believes they own the copyright of any of the photographs in this section, and objects to its reproduction on this Web site, they should contact the CAIN Director.
Sources:
The photographs were obtained from various sources including: newspapers, magazines, books, other publications, video, memorials, Web sites, etc.
Removal of photographs:
If the nearest relative of any of those killed, objects to the use of a particular photograph then the image will be removed from this site. If the nearest relative would prefer a different photograph to be used this can be arranged.
Appeal for additional photographs:
If anyone has a photograph, or a series of photographs, of any of those killed during the conflict and would be willing to donate a (digital) copy to the Archive, please contact the CAIN Director. Please do not sent original photographs by post.