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An inquest into the death of British merch-seller Nick Alexander during the Bataclan terrorist shootings has heard, in heartbreaking detail, of the final moments of his life.
The 35-year-old was selling merchandise for Eagles Of Death Metal when gunmen stormed into the Paris venue and opened fire back in November, killing him and 88 other people. At the time, Alexander's family described him as "generous, funny and fiercely loyal."
The senior coronor for Essex, Caroline Beasley-Murray, has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing at the inquest, where his friend and former partner, Helen Wilson, recounted the moments before his death.
Wilson, who had remained close friends with Alexander after their two-year relationship, told the inquest that the pair had played dead as the gunmen launched their attack. As The Guardian reports, her written statement said, "Nick and I were still talking, I told him not to move and keep his eyes closed. We were playing at being dead."
She then heard a man scream, which prompted one of the terrorists to come towards them. "The man was tall and had dark hair, he came in our direction and started shooting. I tried to protect Nick by covering his body with my legs and wrapping my arms."
"We were holding hands the whole time. He told me that it was hard to breathe so I told him to squeeze my hand and was telling him to stay with me. I was telling him not to leave me, and that I love him."
As she attempted to give Alexander mouth-to-mouth, "I protected myself and asked Nick if he was OK, he said: 'I'm going to die.' I told him that he wasn't, he said he couldn't breathe. At the time I was holding Nick he felt cold and his eyes had changed, his body was lifeless."
A memorial fund set up in Alexander's honour last year raised over £35,000.
