Witness in trial of Garda murderer Stephen Silver believes ‘stray’ bullet meant for him

James Coyne who testified during Silver’s trial for the capital murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan has told how during the gunfire he was seeking safety in the doorway of Mulligan’s Menswear inches from where a bullet struck the shop’s facade.

“There was a bullet hole in Mulligan’s wall and I think that was for me,” James told the Sunday World.

“I don’t know if Stephen was trying to kill me but it’s very suspicious that’s where the bullet hole ended up.

“Because that’s where I was standing.

“And I never seen (sic) or heard of anyone doing a killing that left a witness just standing there.

​“I’d be shocked to think he would have tried to kill me because he was a nice lad growing up but you just don’t know!”

In the only interview he has given since Silver was convicted of the capital murder of Det Gda Horkan on Wednesday last, James, who was with the killer in the hours leading up to the shooting, also tells how:

Silver repeatedly tried to draw gardai into a confrontation in the hours prior to the killing;

James knew Det Gda Horkan and the slain officer greeted him with a friendly ‘hello’ just moments before Silver grappled with him and took his gun;

He still has sleepless nights over the horrific murder and has considered counselling; he believes the jury made the correct decision in convicting Silver of capital murder.

On the day preceding the killing, James was at his home in Knockroe when Silver called – referencing a video involving James and gardai from years earlier.

“Stephen seemed to stick his nose into my business and it was none of his business,” James told us.

The pair then travelled to collect Silver’s motorbike at his garage in Mayo.

On the way, Silver who has a long history of mental illness stopped at Castlerea Garda Station, where he spent 30 seconds berating Gda Ray O’Dowd inside the station.

Later, after picking up Silver’s 750 Ninja motorbike in Foxford, the pair returned to James’ Knockroe home.

​There, for the second time that day, Silver attempted to spark a confrontation with gardai.

The killer took the bike out on high speed laps around the houses, generating thick plumes of smoke and shouted out that he “dared the armed squad come down here now” and “come out ye c**ts”.

“He Silver was looking for it,” James told the Sunday World.

“He was sitting there on a red chair in my front yard trying to draw the guards on him.

“Roaring and shouting he was, speeding up and down the estate on the bike.

“Maybe it was only for a fight that he was doing it but look what happened.

“You don’t know what’s going on in a person’s head.

“At the court, they said he was bi-polar and I’d say he definitely had something like that.

After Silver burnt out the back tyre, the decided to go into town for food.

Silver again wanted to go by the garda station but James disagreed and they went instead via St Patrick’s Street.

Soon after, the slain detective pulled up his grey unmarked Hyundai next to them at the junction of Patrick Street and Barrack street.

"I knew him well,” James continued.

“He said hello to me when he saw me with Silver.”

James said after Det Horkan exited the vehicle and approached Silver a struggle ensued with the officer being knocked to the ground.

“I didn’t see him being killed,” James told this newspaper.

“But I saw the fight before it and the guard being knocked to the ground.

“I had only got from here to the gate 10 metres and that’s when the gun went off.

​“I was trying to get away from it … if I hadn’t, I think I would have been killed too.

“You don’t shoot a guard that amount of times by accident.

“I thought once could have been a mistake. But 10 or 11 times … no!”

James said he was happy that the evidence he gave during Silver’s trial had played a role in his conviction.

“He deserved what he got,” James said of Silver’s conviction.

“He Det Horkan was a good man. He was the kind of lad you could sit down and have a chat with.

“After the shooting, there was a lot of lies told.

“People were saying I was a liar … but my truth got Silver hung. Not just my truth, because there were other witnesses, but I was the key witness.

“He Silver killed a guard and that was his mistake – not mine.

“I’m glad his family got justice.

“My own brother was killed in a hit and run and I got no justice (sic). The fella who did that is still out there.

“That has my family’s heart torn apart.

“So, for anyone to get justice can only be a good thing.”

Asked how his life has been since the shooting, James says he thinks about it every day.

“I do still think about what happened that night all the time.

“There’s nights I can’t sleep over it.

“I do often think of counselling but my counselling is to get out the chainsaw and knock a few trees.”

James said what bothers him most is how easily things could have gone differently.

“The guards in the patrol car were coming as I was going … another minute and they would have been there and then maybe none of this would have happened.

“He Silver might have got a few months or been sent to the mental hospital for lashing out but he’d free again today.

“I honestly don’t know what he was thinking. You can’t go around doing what he did … shooting a guard.

“It’s not okay. So, he Silver deserved what he got.”

Convicted of capital murder, Silver will receive a mandatory 40-year jail term when he is sentenced on April 19.