Man who fired shotgun in Carlow shopping centre had a known 'fascination for firearms'
A man with a known 'fascination for firearms' was on bail for gun charges when he fired shots in a Carlow shopping centre before fatally shooting himself.
Gardaí had objected to bail for Evan Fitzgerald, aged 22, after he was caught last year with guns and ammunition which they said he admitted to having bought on the dark web. However, he was given bail on strict conditions and was due back in court on the charges this week.
On Sunday, he walked through the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow firing a shotgun in the air.
He then shot himself outside the shopping centre after being challenged by armed gardaí.
It was a 'terrifying experience' for shoppers who fled the building when the gunman started shooting in the air, Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman said.
The scene at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow on Sunday Photo: michaelorourkephotography.ie
A girl sustained a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the centre. No one other than any of the shots fired injured the gunman, the assistant commissioner said.
Mr Fitzgerald, who was from Portrushen, Kiltegan, at the border between Co Wicklow and Co Carlow, was arrested in March 2024 following an intelligence-led firearm trafficking operation. Gardaí seized a semi-automatic M1911 pistol, an automatic Koch G3 rifle, and ammunition after a car in which Mr Fitzgerald was travelling was stopped at Ponsonby Bridge near Straffan, Co Kildare.
'Mr Fitzgerald has a fascination with firearms,' Detective Garda Gavin Curran told the court.
Mr Fitzgerald was granted bail in March 2024.
Gardai blocking off roads leading to Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow yesterday evening Photo: michaelorourkephotography.ie
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said reports that the suspect was on bail for firearms charges is 'deeply concerning'.
It is unacceptable to have such serious crimes carried out by those on bail, he said.
Figures released to Mr Carthy in recent weeks showed that, between 2022 and 2024, 64 crimes were committed by those on bail for possession of firearms — while 2,312 crimes in the period were carried out by individuals on bail for possession of offensive weapons.
Mr Carthy called for a wider review of the enforcement and operation of bail laws.
Following the shooting, bomb disposal experts were called from Collins Barracks in Cork to examine a possible explosive device after gardaí found a bottle containing an unknown substance on the body of the dead man.
However, the area was later declared safe.
Multiple reports of shots being fired in the shopping centre were made to gardaí at around 6.15pm on Sunday.
'Gardaí responded to the scene and met a large number of people running from the shopping centre,' Assistant Commissioner Hilman said. 'An unarmed uniform unit arriving at the scene observed the suspect exiting the shopping centre.
'The suspect discharged a firearm — a shotgun — into the air. Another plain clothes-armed garda unit responding drew their official firearms and identified themselves as armed gardaí.
'The suspect discharged the firearm again, self-inflicting a fatal wound.
'No member of An Garda Síochána discharged a weapon. This was meant to be a normal day out on a bank holiday weekend. This was a terrifying experience for every person that was present.'
Forensic investigators at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow, where a man died following a shooting incident on Sunday evening. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
An autopsy will be carried out by the State pathologist in Dublin today.
The suspect was described as 'white Irish' by gardaí after far-right and anti-immigrant sentiment was being stoked online, with false rumours circulating about the scale of the attack and the ethnicity of the shooter.
The Hope and Courage Collective said the tragic incident was being used by prominent anti-migrant accounts to spread false claims and conspiracies.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
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