The family of a Galway man who was shot dead by British police earlier this month, have been told that it is right for them to feel “hurt” and “shock” at his passing.
Speaking at the funeral of David Joyce (38) on Monday, Fr Martin Glynn said death will always bring sadness, while sudden death often brings even greater sadness.
Armed police officers shot Mr Joyce at Milton Keynes railway station on April 1st. Officers were called to the station just before 1pm following reports of a man at the station with a gun.
The officers challenged Mr Joyce before he reportedly ran at them at speed while carrying a knife. Mr Joyce was shot once in the abdomen at close range and, despite receiving first aid from police officers, he died at the scene.
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At the Holy Family Church in Mervue, Galway, Fr Glynn said death “always brings shock, it brings hurt and it brings sadness”.
“Today that hurt, that shock and that sadness, is felt most deeply by David’s mother, grandmother, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and friends. It is the most natural feeling in the world to feel sadness today,” he said.
In an emotional eulogy, delivered before a crowd of about 100 people, Mr Joyce’s younger brother Dean described him as “a special person” who was “adventurous and mischievous”.
“We are gathered here today not just to mourn the sudden loss of our brother David, but to celebrate the life he lived,” he said.
“David was a very special person. He was kind, good-hearted, outgoing and caring.”
When Dean became overcome with emotion, the eulogy was completed by Mr Joyce’s sister Rachael, who described her brother as always being “very kind to his sisters”. She said he always “showed us how much he loved us”.
She described Mr Joyce’s recent visit home, which allowed the family to spend time together one final time.
No reference to the circumstances surrounding Mr Joyce’s death was made during the funeral service.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in the UK conducted an investigation into the incident. As part of its investigation, the IOPC said all the armed police officers who attended the scene were “being treated as witnesses”.
The Joyce family requested no flowers at the service but asked for donations to the Kevin Bell Trust, a charity which helps alleviate the financial hardship of bereaved families repatriating the body of loved ones who have died abroad.
