Panic and fear over Carlow shooting turns to shock
The 'panic and fear' felt during a shooting incident at a Carlow shopping centre on Sunday evening has since turned into 'shock amongst the community, that something like this could happen', said Mayor of Carlow County Council Fintan Phelan.
'This was a regular bank holiday Sunday with people going about their business,' he said.
'For it to totally change in the manner it did ... it's very distressing for all those caught up in it,' he added.
The alarm was raised at about 6.15pm, with gardaí rushing to the Fairgreen shopping centre after receiving reports of a gun being discharged inside the premises.
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The armed man fired several rounds and the fatal shot was self-inflicted. A young girl also suffered minor injuries while fleeing the shopping centre and received medical treatment
Mr Phelan praised staff at the centre who went 'above and beyond' to make sure their customers were safe. He said gardaí and other first responders arrived 'extremely quickly'.
'We're very lucky we're not dealing with a different situation this morning,' said Mr Phelan.
The incident occurred at the main shopping centre in Carlow town, where 'rarely would you ever have trouble', he said.
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Lone man fired shots into air in 'terrifying' incident at Carlow shopping centre, says Garda
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'It's a nice community here, and Carlow town is safe, so for something like this to happen is incredibly unusual and worrying.'
Minister of State for Public Health, and Carlow TD, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor said incidents of this nature are 'rare' and something 'we never want or expect to witness or happen in any of our communities'.
Ms Murnane O'Connor said her thoughts are with the community and the families affected, including those who continue to work at the scene and investigate the circumstances.
'I urge anyone who has information to speak to the gardaí as soon as possible, to only use verified news channels for factual information, and to disregard misinformation and speculative comments currently circulating on social media,' she said.
Fine Gael Cllr Fergal Browne said emergency services 'reacted quickly to the unfolding events' and he was 'relieved' the young girl will make a full recovery.
'It was terrifying for her and her family and anyone caught up in the event,' he said.
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Man dead after shots fired in Carlow shopping centre, Army bomb disposal team called to scene
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'People were running from the centre, roaring, crying and running for their lives. It was, apparently, awful,' he said.
Cllr Browne said people living in the area thought the shots they heard were fireworks.
'You're not expecting that on a bank holiday Sunday in Carlow. When reality dawned on people, what was happening, it was hard to take in. It was just mad,' he added.
Carlow County Council is providing support alongside the Health Service Executive to people affected by the incident. On Monday, the council said it is supporting the HSE in providing psychosocial support for people affected by the events.
'HSE staff will be available to talk to anyone affected from 1pm to 5pm today at County Buildings, Athy Road,' it said.
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