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January 30th, 1972 is remembered as among the most deadly – and consequential – dates in three decades of unrest in Northern Ireland.

Within the community of the incident – the images of that fateful day are visible on the walls and etched in people's minds.

A protest demonstration was organized on a chilly yet clear afternoon in the city.

The protest was a protest against the practice of detention without trial – holding suspects without due process – which had been put in place in response to three years of conflict.

Troops from the elite army unit fatally wounded 13 people in the district – which was, and remains, a overwhelmingly republican community.

A specific visual became particularly iconic.

Images showed a clergyman, Fr Edward Daly, waving a blood-stained white handkerchief while attempting to defend a crowd moving a young man, Jackie Duddy, who had been killed.

News camera operators captured considerable film on the day.

Historical records includes the priest explaining to a reporter that soldiers "just seemed to shoot indiscriminately" and he was "completely sure" that there was no justification for the discharge of weapons.

This account of what happened wasn't accepted by the first inquiry.

The first investigation concluded the military had been shot at first.

Throughout the resolution efforts, the ruling party established a fresh examination, in response to advocacy by surviving kin, who said the initial inquiry had been a whitewash.

In 2010, the findings by Lord Saville said that overall, the soldiers had discharged weapons initially and that none of the individuals had posed any threat.

At that time head of state, David Cameron, expressed regret in the Parliament – stating deaths were "improper and unacceptable."

Authorities started to look into the incident.

An ex-soldier, identified as the accused, was charged for murder.

He was charged regarding the deaths of the first individual, in his twenties, and 26-year-old William McKinney.

The defendant was further implicated of seeking to harm several people, additional persons, Joe Mahon, another person, and an unidentified individual.

Remains a court ruling maintaining the soldier's identity protection, which his lawyers have argued is required because he is at danger.

He testified the investigation that he had only fired at people who were carrying weapons.

This assertion was rejected in the concluding document.

Evidence from the examination was unable to be used immediately as proof in the criminal process.

During the trial, the defendant was hidden from public using a blue curtain.

He made statements for the opening instance in the proceedings at a hearing in December 2024, to respond "innocent" when the allegations were presented.

Relatives of the victims on the incident travelled from the city to Belfast Crown Court daily of the trial.

John Kelly, whose sibling was fatally wounded, said they always knew that listening to the trial would be painful.

"I remember the events in my recollection," John said, as we visited the primary sites discussed in the proceedings – from the street, where the victim was shot dead, to the nearby Glenfada Park, where James Wray and another victim were killed.

"It returns me to where I was that day.

"I helped to carry my brother and place him in the ambulance.

"I went through every moment during the proceedings.

"Notwithstanding experiencing the process – it's still meaningful for me."