- Michael Martin Dwyer
-
Michael Martin Dwyer Born 1984
County Tipperary, Republic of IrelandDied April 16, 2009
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BoliviaOccupation Security Guard Known for Work for I-RMS Security at controversial Corrib Pipeline Michael Dwyer (born 1984, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland — died April 16, 2009) was shot dead by Bolivian Police on April 16, 2009, by Police Special Forces, in the Las Americas Hotel, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Contents
Background
Ballinderry native Dwyer graduated with a BSc in Construction Management from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in 2008. From February to late October he was a Team Leader for the security firm Integrated Risk Management Services (I-RMS) at the controversial Shell gas pipeline site in Rossport, County Mayo despite not holding the required Static Security license.[1] [2] It was there Dwyer reportedly met Tibor Révész and Előd Tóásó.[3]
Bolivia
In November 2008 he travelled to Bolivia from Madrid with three former I-RMS employees. According to La Prensa, the people who travelled with Dwyer on November 17, 2008 were (Tibor) Révész, (Gábor) Dudog and (Ivan) Pistovcak.[4]
In Santa Cruz he joined the armed entourage of Eduardo Rózsa-Flores. The media has speculated that the link between Dwyer and Rózsa-Flores was former I-RMS employee Tibor Révész.[5] Revesz is also the founding member of the Szekler Legion, a paramilitary group that wants autonomy for Hungarians living in Romania.[6] An unsigned posting on the Szekler Legion website last October called for people to send their CVs to a stated email address if they believed they could assist an unnamed man – now believed to be Flores – in the protection of his “homeland”, Santa Cruz.[7] Dwyer had supposedly[clarification needed]travelled to Bolivia to attend a bodyguard course but no evidence for such a course exists. Rózsa-Flores and his companions stay in hotels were all paid for by third parties.
Death in Bolivia
Following a bombing on April 15 at the home of Julio Cardinal Terrazas[citation needed], the next day (April 16) at around 4:00 a.m. some thirty members of an elite police squad swarmed into the hotel, cut the phone line, and demanded that night staff tell them where Flores and his entourage were staying.[citation needed]
They were the only guests on the fourth floor, in a row of five rooms. Having located their quarry, police silently made their way upstairs. The next thing the two staff members on duty heard was a huge explosion that shook the building, followed by 10 to 15 minutes of intense gunfire, “a rain of bullets” in the words of the night manager.[8] Dwyer was shot dead along with Árpád Magyarosi and Rózsa-Flores. Mario Tadic and Előd Tóásó were taken prisoner.
He had two guns and several rounds of ammunition in his room, according to a police report and gunpowder residue on his hands.[9] Ballistics reports show that two shots were fired from his room.
Autopsies
An Irish state pathologist, Marie Cassidy, told the inquest into his death that Dwyer died from six gunshot wounds to the chest. She said that the post mortem on Dwyer in Bolivia was incomplete.[10]
The Bolivian autopsy by Antonio Torres Bulanza and Rafael Vargas Peña, of the Instituto de Investigaciones Forenses, showed Dwyer had six bullet entrance wounds with three exit wounds and the trajectory was from the back to the front, slightly from below to above, that his heart was intact and the cause of death was hypovolaemic shock (acute blood loss) from multiple thoracic injuries by bullets.[citation needed]
Inquiry demand by Dwyer's family
The Dwyer family and the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs have demanded an independent international inquiry.[11]
References
- ^ Lally, Conor (2009-10-14). "Irishman died from single bullet wound in Bolivia, inquest told". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/1014/1224256618237.html. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Tighe, Mark (2009-07-19). "Sister defends Dwyer's comrade". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6719205.ece. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ According to information provided by AeroSur, the suspected mercenaries Dwyer, Révész, Dudog and Pistovcak came to Santa Cruz on November 17 last year from Madrid (Spanish: De acuerdo con el informe remitido por AeroSur, los presuntos mercenarios Dwyer, Révész, Dudog y Pistovcák llegaron a Santa Cruz el 17 de noviembre del año pasado, procedentes de Madrid, España)
- ^ Garcia, Eduardo; Tighe, Mark (2009-04-26). "Corrib link to Irish man's death". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6169658.ece. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ Garcia, Eduardo; Tighe, Mark (2009-05-10). "Bolivian forces ‘found’ handgun in Dwyer's room". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6257580.ece. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ Lally, Conor; McLaughlin, Daniel (2009-04-25). "Dwyer travelled with ex-soldier". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0425/breaking17.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ Hennigan, Tom (2009-04-25). "The life and death of Michael Dwyer". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0425/1224245355070.html. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ Farrell, Jeff; Ni Bhraonain, Eimear (2009-05-13). "New report says Dwyer opened fire on police in shootout". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/new-report-says-dwyer-opened-fire-on-police-in-shootout-1736929.html. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ O'Brien, Jason (2009-10-14). "Bolivia hints at fresh inquiry as shots evidence fails to add up". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/bolivia-hints-at-fresh-inquiry-as-shots-evidence-fails-to-add-up-1912528.html. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ^ Kane, Conor (2009-10-15). "Dwyer family want independent probe into son's shooting". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dwyer-family-want-independent-probe-into-sons-shooting-1914131.html. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
External links
Categories:- Irish people
- People from County Tipperary
- People shot dead by law enforcement officers
- Deaths by firearm in Bolivia
- Irish mercenaries
- 1984 births
- 2009 deaths
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