Kevin Carroll murder: Witness escaped car moments before shooting

A FRIEND and associate of a gangland figure shot dead in a supermarket car park has told a court that he scrambled out of the car moments before the shooting.

Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll was in the back seat of a parked black Audi A3 when two masked gunmen killed him outside Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow.

John Bonner, who acted as Carroll’s driver, told the High Court in Glasgow that a Volkswagen Golf pulled up in front of them and two men in masks got out.

He said he felt “something wasn’t right” and scrambled out of the car, leaving “Gerbil” in the back. He said: “I tried to get out of the motor as fast as I could. Something wasn’t right. I fell out of the motor. I was scared.

Mr Bonner said he then ran away and hid behind another vehicle until he heard the Volkswagen “screeching away”. When he returned, he found Carroll dead in the back seat with the door locked, he told the court.

He said he had the car keys in his hand as he jumped from the vehicle and must have accidentally locked the vehicle as he fell on the ground: “It must have happened by accident. I had them in my hand when I fell from the motor.”

Mr Bonner said he subsequently dropped the keys and “someone” had returned them to him but he did not know who.

Mr Bonner was giving evidence at the trial of Ross Monaghan, 30, who denies repeatedly shooting and murdering Carroll, while acting with others, on 13 January, 2010.

He has lodged a special defence of incrimination, blaming a man who cannot be named for legal reasons, and seven others.

Monaghan is also alleged to have attempted to defeat the ends of justice by concealing a revolver, a pistol and ammunition under bricks and undergrowth in Coatbridge, and setting fire to a car.

He is further charged with possessing guns and ammunition without a proper certificate.

Monaghan denies all the charges against him. The court also heard from a supermarket manager yesterday who said he saw two gunmen shooting at a vehicle in the store car park.

Steven McKenna, 46, said was “shocked and upset” by the incident, which occurred on the Asda car park about an hour after he came on duty.

Mr McKenna told advocate depute Iain McSporran, prosecuting, that his attention was drawn by the sound of a bang coming from the car park area.

He said he looked out of his office and saw that a black Audi parked in one of the bays had been blocked by VW Golf.

Mr McKenna told the jury: “The parked car had two males moving away at a pace, they were running. Two males from the other car were firing.”

The court was told that both the gunmen had their arms raised and Mr McKenna said: “From what I could see it appeared to be handguns. The two individuals were firing towards the car. It looked as if shots were being fired at the two who were running away. The passenger window was almost obliterated. There was a hole the size of a football in the centre of it.

“I saw there was an adult male lying on the back seat. There was nothing I could do for him.”

The trial before judge Lord Brailsford continues.