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The Journal
7 days ago
- General
- The Journal
Large quantity of chemicals found inside barrel at Carlow gunman's bedroom
GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING THE Carlow shopping centre shooting found a large quantity of chemicals inside a barrel at the home of the shooter. It is understood gardaí searched two houses linked to Evan Fitzgerald located on the Wicklow and Carlow border near the village of Kiltegan, some 40 minutes by road from the site of the shooting. Initial tests have determined that the barrel, about the size of a beer keg, contained a chemical accelerant that could be used to make highly flammable incendiary devices. Fitzgerald was due to go on trial in the coming months on 13 separate charges for possession of military spec weapons, gunpowder and nitrate chemicals. He was also charged with offences associated with an assault rifle he bought on the dark web. The Heckler and Koch G3 rifle was seized in March 2024, along with a Remington M1911 handgun and multiple types of ammunition. He had since been charged with possession of other guns and ammunition. He was arrested last year in Co Kildare by specialist gardaí from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who were assisted by armed officers from the Emergency Response Unit. He was set to hear a date for his trial this week, having appeared before court again last month. Advertisement At a hearing last year, when the then-steel yard worker was granted bail with strict conditions, the court was told he had a 'fascination' with firearms but that the interest was more of a hobby than a 'nefarious' one. Questions regarding his bail status have been raised by numerous politicians since Sunday night. 1 June Fitzgerald went to the shopping centre armed on Sunday evening at around 6.15pm and fired a number of shots into the air. He then died from a self-inflicted shotgun blast as two armed gardaí approached him. Sources have said that a bottle shaped object found on his body was found to contain nothing of concern. A van he used to travel to the shopping centre was also searched but did not contain any illegal or potentially lethal weapons or substances. The Journal believes Fitzgerald was wearing a gas mask during the events of Sunday night, a huge cause of concern for gardaí and military Explosive Ordnance Disposal soldiers as they arrived at the scene. The presence of the gas mask and the bottle on his body caused them to prepare for a possible chemical threat. Inside Fitzgerald's bedroom in the ensuing searches, gardaí found a large blue barrel containing a suspicious liquid which is now being examined to determine why the 22-year-old had it, and if it could have been used as or in a weapon. Gardaí are also examining how Fitzgerald was able to use a legally held firearm to carry out the shooting in Carlow. Investigators have been taking statements from people close to Evan Fitzgerald, as well as those who were among the last to see him before he travelled to the town. A large amount of witness statements from people who were in Carlow town is also being compiled along with a collection of all CCTV available across the gunman's route. An incident room has been set up in Carlow and gardaí have appealed for anyone with video footage to contact them. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Extra.ie
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Matt Carthy: 'Terrifying incidents like this are why our bail laws need an overhaul'
The shooting at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow raises serious questions about the operation of our bail laws. The fact that the person who carried out the shooting at the shopping centre on Sunday was on bail at the time, having been charged with offences associated with purchasing an assault rifle on the dark web, raises many questions. This weapon was seized along with a handgun and multiple types of ammunition, and he was arrested by specialist gardaí from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who were assisted by armed officers from the Emergency Response Unit. Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin spokesperson on justice, home affairs and migration. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire This tells us just how serious a matter this was. The problem is that it is not an isolated incident. While many crimes committed by those on bail will involve issues such as public order offences, there have been a number of very serious crimes committed over recent months and years by those on bail. Since my appointment as Sinn Féin spokesperson on justice, home affairs and migration, I have repeatedly questioned Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan in relation to the operation of the bail laws. It was through the case of Shane O'Farrell, Zigimantas Gridziuska committed hundreds of bail violations before killing the young man in a hit-and-run, that I became particularly familiar with the flaws in how our bail laws operate. I welcome the fact that the Minister for Justice, as part of the apology to the O'Farrell family last week, announced that he would appoint a senior counsel to examine the conditions under which a repeated offender can be granted bail while awaiting trial. Like myself, many people will find it hard to understand how some people can repeatedly offend while on bail and remain at large, or how dangerous criminals can be released on bail. How does this happen when the Bail Act 1997 (as amended) provides for the refusal of bail in particular circumstances, while An Garda Síochána can also object to bail being granted? Pic: Alan Rowlette/ Existing laws need to be examined to ensure that they are being appropriately enforced where there is a risk of someone committing further crimes while on bail. However, I believe the problems are wider than what the minister is proposing to look at in the review, which he has announced. The problems in terms of the level of crime being committed by those on bail cannot be separated from a wider range of problems within the criminal justice system. Our jails are seriously overcrowded because we are doing such a bad job at cutting reoffending rates, particularly among young offenders. Some 60% of young adults under the age of 21 released from custody in 2020 reoffended within a year. That is simply not good enough and needs to be addressed. We don't have enough gardaí to police our streets or ensure that offenders are abiding by the conditions of bail. Our court system is plagued by unacceptable delays, meaning that people who would otherwise be behind bars remain on bail for longer due to the time it takes for cases to come to court. The result of all of this is that the number of crimes being committed by those on bail is extremely high. In March, I received a reply to a parliamentary question to the Minister for Justice that revealed that 40,348 crimes committed in 2024 were committed by those on bail. Several weeks ago, I received further details regarding a number of very serious crimes committed by those on bail, including sexual assaults, robberies, possession of offensive weapons and possession of firearms. Those figures showed that from 2022 to 2024, 64 crimes involving the possession of firearms were committed by those on bail. In the same period, 2,312 crimes involving possession of an offensive weapon were committed by those on bail, while 49 sexual assaults were committed by people on bail in that period. The Minister for Justice must examine whether the provisions within the Bail Acts dealing with and pre-empting breaches of bail are being properly enforced. D O the Gardaí have the numbers and resources to enforce the bail laws as they stand? Or is part of the problem here that An Garda Síochána is understaffed and over-stretched? All of this needs to be looked at. Our laws must ensure that the most dangerous criminals are behind bars. We are extremely lucky that no one else was seriously injured or killed in Sunday's incident, which has shocked the community in Carlow. Now it is time to review not just the conditions under which a repeat offender can be granted bail while awaiting trial, but how our bail laws as a whole operate and how conditions of bail are actually being enforced. The Minister for Justice must also urgently tackle the delays in our court system, which are allowing dangerous criminals to remain at large.
The Journal
03-06-2025
- The Journal
Post-mortem to be carried out later on body of Carlow gunman
A POST-MORTEM examination will be carried out later on the 22-year-old man who died in a shooting incident in Carlow on Sunday. The body of Evan Fitzgerald was removed from the scene of Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow yesterday and taken to the mortuary in Dublin ahead of today's post-mortem by the State Pathologist. A technical examination of the car park scene has finished but the scene remains held and the Fairgreen Shopping Centre remains closed. Yesterday, gardaí began releasing cars from the Shopping Centre car park and access is only granted to people who left a vehicle there. The scene of the fatality outside the Tesco store was also declared safe yesterday after an examination by Irish army explosives officers. Gardaí had called the bomb disposal experts to the scene after observing a bottle containing an unknown substance on the body of the dead man. Advertisement Gardaí were alerted to the shooting incident in Carlow at around 6.15pm on Sunday, 1 June. Fitzgerald, originally from Portrushen Upper near Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was killed by his own firearm and no shots were fired by gardaí. No one else was injured by any of the shots fired, though a young girl sustained a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the centre. Fitzgerald had been on bail for serious firearms offences and was before the courts last year when he was charged with offences associated with an assault rifle he bought on the dark web. He was arrested last year in Co Kildare by specialist gardaí from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who were assisted by armed officers from the Emergency Response Unit. He was set to hear a date for his trial, having appeared before court again last month. At a previous hearing last year, where Fitzgerald was granted bail with strict conditions, the court was told he had a 'fascination' with firearms but that the interest was more of a hobby rather than a 'nefarious' one. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Carlow shooter was facing serious charges and 'terrified of going to prison'
The man who shot himself in front of shoppers in Carlow was facing serious criminal charges – and was terrified of going to jail, it has emerged. Sources have also told The Irish Mirror that Evan Fitzgerald, who took his own life after firing several shots inside the town's Fairgreen Centre on Sunday evening, was facing up to 14 years in jail over the charges – and was due up in court on them again on Wednesday. But we have learned he had told people he was afraid of going to prison over the 13 charges – relating to firearms and explosives charges. Sources say Fitzgerald, 22, took a legally-held shotgun that was registered to an associate on Sunday afternoon and then headed to the Carlow shopping centre – where he caused panic by firing several shots in the air. He then walked outside and, when challenged by armed gardai, turned the shotgun on himself. He died instantly in the horror shooting. We have learned that Mr Fitzgerald, of Portrushen Upper, Kiltegan, Rathvilly, Co Carlow, was due at Naas District Court in Co Kildare this week, where he was to be served with the book of evidence in his case – which meant he was to stand trial in front of a judge and jury later this year. He was charged under anti-firearms and explosives legislation and was facing up to 14 years behind bars if he was convicted. But the case against him cannot now proceed. Mr Fitzgerald was 22 and had an address at Portrushen Upper, Kiltegan, Rathvilly, Co Carlow, close to the border with Wicklow. It is about 27km from the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow Town, where he caused panic on Sunday evening. We have confirmed that Mr Fitzgerald was on bail on serious firearms and explosives charges when he went to Fairgreen and opened fire. Sources tell us gardai now believe he did not intend to target anyone else in the incident – which officers now think was a gruesome public suicide. "He did not shoot at anyone else and we believe he did not want to. The shots he fired were not aimed at anyone," a source told us. The steel worker – who a court previously heard had a fascination with guns – was charged over an incident at Straffan in Co Kildare last year. Detectives from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau charged Mr Fitzgerald over the incident in which officers seized a German-made Heckler and Koch G3 assault rifle and an America Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol. Gardai believe he bought the items on the dark web. A court heard the guns were seized following an intelligence-led operation into alleged firearms trafficking. Gardaí, including from DOCB and The Emergency Response Unit, conducted a controlled stop on a vehicle and seized the firearms and ammunition, the court heard. Mr Fitzgerald, who was on bail, last appeared in court on May 7 and was remanded to this coming Wednesday. He was facing 13 charges. Two were for allegedly possessing the firearms at Ponsonby Bridge, Straffan Road, Co. Kildare on March 2 last year. He also faced two separate charges of possessing 22 rounds of .45 ACP calibre ammunition and 20 rounds of .308 Winchester ammunition on the same date and location. Mr Fitzgerald was also facing a further nine charges, all also allegedly committed on March 2 last year – but this time it is alleged they were committed at Portrushen Upper, Kiltegan, Rathvilly, Co Carlow. Mr Fitzgerald was alleged to have possessed: He had not yet entered any plea in the case and no evidence was heard at the May 7 appearance. He is now understood to have taken a legally-held shotgun registered to an associate and used it to fire several shots in the air inside Fairgreen Shopping Centre at around 6.15pm on Sunday night. Garda Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, who is in charge of policing in the eastern region that includes Carlow, visited the scene yesterday – and revealed further details of the horror incident. She said unarmed gardai responded to multiple reports of shooting – and when they got there were met by scores of people trying to escape. She 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 plainclothes 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." And she revealed: "No member of An Garda Síochána discharged a weapon. "An Garda Síochána now understands that the lone male had walked through the shopping centre and had discharged the firearm, into the air, on a number of occasions. "No person was injured by the shots discharged." She added that the nine-year-old girl injured in the incident suffered a slight leg wound as she escaped the scene with her parents. The Assistant Commissioner 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 in the Fairgreen Shopping Centre yesterday evening. "An Garda Síochána implemented a cordon around the Fairgreen Shopping Centre and carpark. "A bottle containing an unknown substance was observed by Gardaí on the deceased. An Garda Síochána requested the assistance of the Irish Defence Forces EOD team to examine the unknown device. "An EOD team from Collins Barracks, Cork attended the scene late last night. Following examination, the EOD team declared the scene safe." The Defence Forces told us EOD officers were called to two locations – the shopping centre and a private residence. No explosives were found at either site. A spokesman said: "Yesterday, two Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams were deployed at the request for assistance from An Garda Síochána in relation to suspected devices at both Fairgreen Shopping Centre and a private residence. Following an assessment by the EOD Teams, no viable device was found at Fairgreen Shopping Centre and at the private residence, 2 rounds of ammunition were found, along with a barrel containing a mix of alcohol and energetic material. "The EOD Teams handed the scenes over to the AGS and returned to barracks, concluding the operation. The Fairgreen EOD Team deployed at 2040hrs and returned at 0420hrs and the private residence EOD Team deployed at 2126hrs and returned at 0616hrs." The area around Fairgreen was sealed off all day yesterday but in the late afternoon, gardai began allowing motorists entry to pick up their vehicles. Mr Fitzgerald's body was yesterday afternoon removed to the mortuary in Dublin where a post-mortem will take place today. Gardai have repeated their calls for witnesses to come forward. The force said: "Gardaí are continuing to appeal for witnesses to this incident. Anyone present at Fairgreen Shopping Centre between approximately 6:00pm and 6:30pm yesterday evening is asked to contact the incident room at Carlow Garda Station. Carlow. Anyone with information is asked to contact Carlow Garda Station at 059 9136620 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800-666-111." Gardai have also referred the incident to Fiosru, the new name for the independent policing watchdog formerly known as GSOC, or the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission. Meanwhile, Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Matt Carthy last night said he was deeply concerned that Fitzgerald was on bail for serious firearms offences when he went to the shopping centre armed with a shotgun. He said: "Our laws must ensure that the most dangerous criminals are behind bars. "The fact that the person who carried out the shooting at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow was on bail having been charged with offences associated with purchasing an assault rifle on the dark web raises many questions. "This weapon was seized along with a handgun and multiple types of ammunition and he was arrested by specialist gardaí from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau who were assisted by armed officers from the Emergency Response Unit. This tells us just how serious a matter this was. "We are extremely lucky that no one else was seriously injured or killed in this incident which has shocked the community in Carlow."
Dublin Live
03-06-2025
- Dublin Live
Carlow shooter named as local man, 22, who was facing firearms charges
The man who opened fire in a Carlow shopping centre before taking his own life has been identified. Detectives are now satisfied the gunman behind the horror incident on Sunday evening was Carlow man Evan Fitzgerald. Mr Fitzgerald, 22, was due to make a court appearance on 13 firearms and explosive charges later this week. He was due to have the book of evidence in the case presented to him at Naas District Court on Wednesday – which meant he was to stand trial in front of a judge and jury later this year. He was charged under anti firearms and explosives legislation and was facing up to 14 years behind bars if he was convicted. But the case against him cannot now proceed. Mr Fitzgerald was 22 and had an address at Portrushen Upper, Kiltegan, Rathvilly, Co Carlow, close to the border with Wicklow. It is about 27 kilometres from the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow Town, where he caused panic on Sunday evening. (Image: An Garda Siochana) We have confirmed that Mr Fitzgerald was on bail on serious firearms and explosives charges when he went to Fairgreen and opened fire. Sources tell us gardai now believe he did not intend to target anyone else in the incident – which officers now think was a gruesome public suicide. "He did not shoot at anyone else and we believe he did not want to. The shots he fired were not aimed at anyone," a source told us. The steel worker – who a court previously heard had a fascination with guns – was charged over an incident at Staffan in Co Kildare last year. Detectives from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau charged Mr Fitzgerald over the incident in which officers seized a German-made Heckler and Koch G3 assault rifle and an America Colt M1911 semi automatic pistol. A court heard the guns were seized following an intelligence-led operation into alleged firearms trafficking. Gardaí, including from DOCB and The Emergency Response Unit, conducted a controlled stop on a vehicle and seized the firearms and ammunition, the court heard. (Image: An Garda Siochana) Mr Fitzgerald, who was on bail, last appeared in court on May 7 and was remanded to this coming Wednesday. He was facing 13 charges. Two were for allegedly possessing the firearms at Ponsonby Bridge, Straffan Road, Co. Kildare on March 2 last year. He also faced two separate charges of possessing 22 rounds of .45 ACP calibre ammunition and 20 rounds of .308 Winchester ammunition on the same date and location. Mr Fitzgerald was also facing a further nine charges, all also allegedly committed on March 2 last year – but this time it is alleged they were committed at Portrushen Upper, Kiltegan, Rathvilly, Co Carlow, Mr Fitzgerald was alleged to have possessed: 23 rounds of Ammunition Suitable for use in Appropriately Chambered Rifles Sixty nine shotgun cartridges Four rounds for pistol and revolvers One round of .450" Calibre Bullet suitable for use in Large Bore Centrefire Rifles One magazine suitable for use in 7.62x39mm Calibre AK-47 rifles One magazine suitable for use in Tokarev Calibre TT-33 Pistols One Magazine suitable for use in Makarov Calibre PM Pistols The explosive substance of Potassium Nitrate, Sulphur and Charcoal (Black Powder) explosive mixture The explosive substance of Ammonium Perchlorate, Potassium Perchlorate, Sulphur and Magnalium. He had not yet entered any plea in the case and no evidence was heard at the May 7 appearance. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
