BBC News By Julian O'Neill Published image captionNine-year-old Patrick Rooney was the first child killed in the Troubles Police officers who killed four people at the outset of the Troubles were never held to account for their actions due to investigative failings, a report has found. The victims included a nine-year-old boy, Patrick Rooney. The police ombudsman also stated the use of machine guns by officers to deal with rioting in Belfast in 1969 was "disproportionate and dangerous". No former officers can be prosecuted due to a lack of evidence. The ombudsman, Marie Anderson, has published a 128-page report covering the deaths of four people during severe rioting in the city on 14 and 15 August 1969.