On 7 December 1922, TD Sean Hales was killed by anti-Treaty IRA men as he left the Dáil. Another TD Pádraic Ó Máille was also shot and badly wounded in the incident. An emergency Cabinet meeting was allegedly held the next day to discuss the assassination of Hales at which it was proposed that 4 prominent members of the Anti-Treaty side currently held as prisoners be executed as a reprisal & a warning, and the 4 names put forward were Richard, Rory O'Connor, Liam Mellows and Joe McKelvey. It has been alleged that the four were chosen to represent each of the four provinces – Munster, Connacht, Leinster and Ulster respectively, but none of the four was actually from Connacht. The executions were ordered by Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins. At 2am on 8 December 1922, Richard Barrett was awoken along with three other Republican leaders, and informed that they were to be executed at 8am that morning in reprisal.