The man who fired shots into the air in a Carlow town shopping centre before taking his own life, was described previously in court as having a “fascination” with firearms.
Evan Fitzgerald (22), of Portrushen, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was on bail and due in court later this week to face 13 charges relating to possession of guns, ammunition and explosive materials.
The charges, most of which related to possessing ammunition for an array of guns, arose from a Garda investigation last year into guns being bought on the darknet.
He had allegedly purchased a G3 Heckler & Kock machine gun, a Remington M1911 handgun and two types of ammunition, which were discovered during a Garda operation in Co Kildare.
Gardaí believed he purchased the guns on the darknet last year for recreational reasons rather than any plan to carry out organised crimes. However, the investigation into him was significant in scale and involved Garda units that tackle serious crime, including the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Emergency Response Unit.
When Mr Fitzgerald appeared in court last year, gardaí initially objected to bail. He was eventually granted bail subject to strict conditions.
One part of the inquiry into Sunday night’s incident will focus on determining where he sourced the firearm used, though it was not believed to be linked to the guns seized from him last year.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, for the Garda Eastern Region, said gardaí responded to the scene on Sunday evening and saw a large number of people running from the Fairgreen Shopping Centre.
An unarmed uniformed unit observed the suspect exiting and discharging a shotgun into the air.
Another plainclothes armed Garda unit drew their official firearms and identified themselves as armed gardaí, she said.
“The suspect discharged the firearm again, self-inflicting a fatal wound,” Ms Hilman said, adding none of the gardaí present discharged a firearm.
Gardaí now understands the “lone male” had walked through the shopping centre and “discharged the firearm, into the air, on a number of occasions”.
A bottle containing an unknown substance was observed on the deceased, resulting in gardaí requesting assistance from the Irish Defence Forces explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team.
Ms Hilman added: “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.”
She thanked the shopping centre management and business community for their assistance and support to the public. She acknowledged the assistance of all emergency services.
“I specifically want to highlight the response of local Garda members, who on receipt of a call of a very dangerous incident immediately responded to protect their community. Their courage was exemplary.”
Gardaí will continue to help the community in coming to terms with the incident, while the force is also “very aware that there is a family grieving the death of their loved one at this time”.
Garda Headquarters issued a statement on Sunday night saying the deceased was a white Irishman.
Confirmation of the dead man’s ethnicity and nationality was publicly shared by the Garda after some far-right social media accounts claimed the incident was carried out by a foreign man. Some far-right social media users also described the incident as a mass shooting with multiple victims wounded.
The decision to quickly confirm the nationality and ethnicity of a person of interest in events with a public safety dimension is becoming more common in international policing. It is being done in a bid to offset tensions and reduce the potential for violence stoked by some far-right actors based on disinformation.
On Monday evening, a Garda statement said the shooter’s body has been removed from the scene and taken to a mortuary for a post mortem by the State Pathologist.
The body had been left in situ overnight and into Monday afternoon pending an examination by Defence Forces EOD experts from Collins Barracks, Cork.
Gardaí said a technical examination of the car park has concluded but the scene was still held and the shopping centre remained closed on Sunday evening. Access would be granted only to members of the public who needed to retrieve their vehicles from within the Garda cordon, the Garda said.
The Garda said the Carlow County Coroner was notified and An Garda Síochána would assist in preparing an investigation file for a Coroner’s inquest.
A Garda family liaison officer was also appointed to provide support to the dead man’s family.
Anyone who recorded footage in or around the shopping centre between 6pm and 6.30pm on Sunday is asked to provide it to the investigation team.
A young girl suffered a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the scene, the Garda said.
The Office of the Police Ombudsman, Fiosrú, confirmed gardaí referred the fatal shooting incident to it.
The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024, obliges the Garda to refer to it any incidents involving the death of, or serious injury to, a person around the time they interacted with gardaí.
