Shireen and her colleagues were clearly identifiable as journalists when they were shot at. Reconstruction based on digital modelling, physical reconstruction and optical analysis confirms that the journalists followed standard protocols for self-identificationand that their large ‘PRESS’ insignia were clearly visible from the position of the IOF shooter in the moments surrounding the shooting. Furthermore, the autopsy report demonstrated that Shireen was positioned away from the shooter in such a way that her PRESS vest should have been easily legible.
Shireen and her fellow journalists were deliberately and repeatedly targeted, with an aim to kill. We identified the bullet retrieved from Shireen’s skull as common to IOF military ‘marksmen’, whose guns are commonly equipped with an optical scope (Trijicon) that magnifies their vision 4x, and would have made their targets clearly visible. The reconstruction of the timeline of events confirms that the marksman had at least twenty seconds in which to visually assess the journalists before shooting the first round, and eight seconds in which to look at them in between the first and second rounds. Trajectory analysis of shots fired reveals a clear line of fire from the IOF’s position toward the group of journalists; close proximity between the gunshots’ impact points, suggesting precise aim; and the consistent positioning of those impact points at above-shoulder height, indicating intent to kill.