This from the Irish Times:

At the time former Irish Times journalist Henry Kelly reported that local eye-witnesses were adamant that McCann was shot when he ran away after being challenged to halt by soldiers. He was unarmed.

"An eye-witness to his death says that when he did not stop for soldiers he was shot at and hit in the leg, then he staggered and fell, after which a British soldier fired as many as ten rounds of live ammunition," Kelly reported.

Following the HET report of 2013 his family asserted that he could and should have been arrested rather than shot."

1: He was shot when he ran away after being challenged - Joe McCann's choice.

2: No-one apart from McCann himself could have known that he was unarmed.

3: The eye witnesses state that he was shot, that those shots fired hit him in the leg i.e. they were not shots aimed deliberately to kill. The eye witnesses also state that after being hit he continued in his attempt to escape then he fell as more shots were fired.

4: Totally agree with McCann's family - "he could and should have been arrested rather than shot" - i.e. Joe McCann should not have tried to evade arrest by running away.

On the subject of denial Shaw what would you have done in his place? I know what I would have done. I would have obeyed orders for a start and moved South not stayed in Belfast as McCann did. I would have steered clear of Police check points (But informers had alerted the RUC that McCann would be in the area). I most certainly would not have made a run for it, having been ordered to halt, knowing that armed police officers and soldiers were present and ready to fire.