An inquiry was set up to look into the events of Bloody Sunday. This was conducted by Lord Chief Justice Widgery. The Widgery Report which was produced 11 weeks after the day concluded the following:

that shots had been fired at the soldiers before they started the firing that led to the casualties;

that, for the most part, the soldiers acted as they did because they thought their standing orders justified it;

and that although there was no proof that any of the deceased had been shot while handling a firearm or bomb, there was a strong suspicion that some had been firing weapons or handling bombs in the course of the afternoon.

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