John Hume was shot in the chest with a gas cartridge at point-blank range as he walked up the path to Rosemount police station, by a policeman standing at the door. Hume was attempting to mediate between the police and a mob who wanted to stone and, if possible, petrol-bomb the barracks. As soon as he recovered he continued his efforts, eventually persuading the mob to stop stoning in return for the police ceasing to fire gas canisters. The mob did not know that the police had almost run out of gas. After the riots someone remarked to a sergeant that Hume had saved the barracks. ‘No he did
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