Latest news with #EvanFitzgerald
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Carlow gunman tried to start fire in shopping centre, used gun stolen from legal owner
Evan Fitzgerald, who ended his own life after firing shots inside a Carlow shopping centre last weekend, used a shotgun that was legally registered to a person who lived close to him and from whom he stole the gun. Gardaí believe he was motivated by the desire to take his own life, perhaps engineering a situation requiring armed officers to open fire. The Irish Times has also learned the 22-year-old had attracted the attention of security guards at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow Town before the shooting began, at about 6.15pm last Sunday, as he was seen kneeling on the ground. It was unclear if he was praying or kneeling for another,reason. Mr Fitzgerald, who was described as 'vulnerable' by a source who had dealings with him, also tried to start a fire inside the shopping centre. READ MORE Though he was not successful in those efforts, gardaí believe he may have been trying to ignite a container of flammable liquid he had with him. [ Judge overseeing firearms case against Carlow gunman says court cannot overrule Garda consent to bail Opens in new window ] The liquid was a mix of alcohol and other combustible material. Gardaí were concerned about the container Mr Fitzgerald, from Portrushen, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was carrying. They requested assistance from a Defence Forces explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to examine the container and make it safe if required. Mr Fitzgerald's remains were left at the scene until the EOD team arrived and carried out an eight hour examination before declaring the area safe. Though the liquid was not a viable explosive or incendiary device in the form it was found, it could have exploded if it came into contact with a raw flame. In the hours after the incident, a second Defence Forces EOD team was asked to examine a property linked to Mr Fitzgerald after gardaí had gone there to search it. Another batch of the same liquid was discovered, as well as a small amount of ammunition. The Defence Forces personnel examined that property in an operation lasting nine hours, until almost 6.30am on Monday. Once that private dwelling was declared safe, a Garda search took place there. Mr Fitzgerald, a former steel yard worker, was on bail at the time of his death as he had been charged last March with firearms and explosives offences. He was alleged to be in possession of two guns seized in Co Kildare; a G3 Heckler & Koch machine gun and a Remington M1911 handgun bought on the darknet. In a follow-up operation, involving a search at a property linked to Mr Fitzgerald, gardaí found powders used to make explosive devices and ammunition for a range of guns. He had a 'fascination' with firearms, said a Garda member who gave evidence when Mr Fitzgerald first appeared in court to face the charges last year. Several young men he was close to are believed to share his interest in guns. However, a number of friends of Mr Fitzgerald who have been spoken to as part of the investigation into last weekend's incident have told gardaí they were shocked by his actions.
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Carlow shooting 'shouldn't have happened, but none of us know the true story', says gun shop owner
Many Irish people pride themselves on the fact that Ireland is practically a 'gun-free' nation. When looking at the atrocities committed so regularly in the US by mass shooters, we comfort ourselves that something of that nature could never happen here. The events at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town last Sunday night have perhaps shaken that belief somewhat. The self-inflicted death of 22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald, who was already on bail and facing charges for the illegal possession of various firearms, while in possession of a shotgun gives rise to many questions. How the young man came to the attention of the gardaí in the first place is well-documented. A man with an admitted 'fascination' with firearms, he and two associates ordered a number of high-powered weapons via the dark web — only to be apprehended by gardaí soon after acquiring them in March of last year. They had come into possession of a handgun, an automatic rifle, and over 40 rounds of ammunition. Prior to his death, Mr Fitzgerald was facing at least 13 charges of possessing firearms, ammunition, and explosive substances. He had been released on bail on strict conditions pending trial. Gardaí believe that he had been suffering from mental health problems prior to the shopping centre incident. The first question is: How did a man with a known fascination for guns, who had no valid gun licence in his possession, come to be able to walk through a shopping centre with a fully-licensed shotgun? The second question is: Was this incident an aberration? Could it happen again? When one looks into the subject, one becomes aware for the first time of an unexpected statistic: Ireland might have a reputation for being gun-free, but that is simply not the case in practice. According to the most recent annual report from An Garda Síochána, valid as at the end of 2023, there were roughly 204,000 licensed firearms in the country at that date, with several thousand illegal versions seized across the year. Each of those weapons would require an individual licence. Put in simple terms, with an adult population of 3.8m people, roughly 5% of that cohort per capita owns a firearm — a massive figure by any standards. 'Huge hobby' That still leaves us far adrift of the US, which has about 120 guns for every 100 population, but it is nevertheless a significant figure for a country where law enforcement is typically not armed (the 5% figure is broadly in alignment with the number of firearms held by the British public). 'It's a huge hobby,' says Pat Cooke, the proprietor of the Hilltop Gun Shop and Ranges in Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow, and one of Ireland's many registered firearms dealers. He explains that the enthusiasm for shooting as a sport takes many different guises. 'It depends on what kind of sport someone is into. There's clay pigeon shooting, which is huge. Game shooting. Hunting. Then there is just target shooting, which is huge again,' Mr Cooke says, noting that the day prior to our conversation he had a customer in his shop who had just returned from Britain, where he had travelled to take part in a target shooting competition. 'Quite a few people travel during the hunting season to shoot game in Africa,' the 74-year-old says. I used to travel to Germany for shoots. Others go to Russia, Lithuania for super competitions. Quite a lot of people travel to Australia for world shoots Asked what kinds of guns people are looking to acquire when they walk through his door, the broad response is: 'Handguns and rifles, it varies.' Asked how he first came to love shooting, Mr Cooke says he has been involved in the sport 'from when I was a youngster', when there were far more younger people attracted to it than there are now. 'When they were 16, they'd start shooting. We'd walk hail, rain, and snow for the sport with a dog and a gun,' he said. 'We didn't sit at computers all day long, because we didn't have any.' So how complicated is it to get a gun in Ireland? Well, there are two stages. The first is to apply for a licence via An Garda Síochána, a process which has no definite timeframe but will, by and large, take 'weeks into months' to complete, according to sources. Gardaí have been piecing together the last hours of 22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald since Sunday when he fired a shotgun inside Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow before turning the gun on himself. There is one certainty regarding licensed firearms in Ireland so far as the gardaí are concerned: If you want a gun, you need to have a good reason. The majority of licences relate to farming, other professional agricultural requirements, and hunting. If you want to own a firearm in this country for recreation, then you need to be a member of one of the roughly 970 gun clubs in the country. One key difference between the US and here is that there is one reason that will not fly under any circumstances when it comes to applying for a licence in Ireland: You cannot hold a gun here legally for the reason of your own security or self-defence. Firearm application To apply for a licence, the application is made directly to the local garda superintendent, a person who also has the power to revoke same. The process itself is not a pro forma one. Once an application has gone in, the applicant will be subject to a garda interview. Their living space will be inspected to see where the gun will be kept. All guns have to be kept under secure lock and key by their owners, while ammunition has to be stored separately in an inaccessible area. The applicant will be given guidance on the implementation of Ireland's firearms legislation. Every gun, meanwhile, requires a separate licence, meaning the process has to be repeated for every firearm without exception. Then, once a licence has been obtained, the aspiring gun-owner can go about sourcing the firearm they desire. A lot of those guns will be purchased from the aforementioned firearms dealerships. Some others will be imported. Receiving a gun in the post is not permitted, as every firearm has to be checked by the gardaí to ensure it conforms to standards. In Mr Cooke's case, all firearms are sold in person. I do it all over the counter. I had bad experiences with couriers, so I try not to use them The problem is that the case of Mr Fitzgerald shows that the strict rules that are in place can be circumvented. Mr Fitzgerald didn't have a valid licence himself. Even if he had, it likely would have been revoked given the charges he was facing. However, the shotgun he used was legally held — just not by him. Given that rules can be gotten around, are we somewhat fortunate that incidents such as that which occurred in Carlow don't happen more often? 'It doesn't happen more because the regulations are in place, and there is a lot of process around the system,' says a source. 'Even if someone is involved in say a domestic violence incident, their situation would be reviewed. 'The regulations come down to the wording that only a 'person suitable to hold a firearm' may own one.' Asked about the incident in Carlow, Mr Cooke says 'it is something that shouldn't have happened'. He adds that 'none of us know the true story'. 'If anyone has any marks on their character at all, they won't have a licence. I have gotten calls from gardaí about people asking is there any doubt about them at all. I cannot give anything out, be it firearms or ammunition, you cannot even ask if you don't have a licence,' he says. One aspect of the conversation Mr Cooke objects to is the suggestion that obtaining a gun is the equivalent of acquiring a weapon. 'When someone is looking for a gun, they are looking for a firearm. A hammer is a weapon. We class guns as what they are,' he says. He disputes that people with bad intentions could seek to acquire a gun legally. 'They have to go through all the rigmarole to get a licence, and they have to fit all the criteria,' he says. Not that he has experienced any trouble at his own dealership. 'Absolutely, there has been very little crime. 'When it comes down to it, 99.9% of gunholders in this country are very reliable people,' he says.
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Second shotgun linked to Carlow gunman Evan Fitzgerald found hidden in rural property
Unlicensed shotgun discovered during searches by gardaí after shooting Evan Fitzgerald, from Kiltegan in Co Wicklow, who died in a shooting incident at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow. Photo: PA An unlicensed shotgun believed to have been hidden away by Carlow gunman Evan Fitzgerald in a rural property while he was out on bail has been seized by gardaí. The shotgun was found at the home of a close associate of Fitzgerald's during a search by gardaí on Monday. The man living at that property is known to gardaí and is also before the courts on separate serious charges. He is not believed to have had any involvement in the incident on Sunday, when Fitzgerald (22) opened fire in a shopping centre in Carlow before taking his own life. 'The shotgun found in this search was not registered to anyone. The suspicion is that it belonged to the deceased,' a source said. It is suspected that the shotgun was placed at the property by the deceased 'It is not known where this weapon was procured, but it is suspected that the shotgun was placed at the property by the deceased. 'The individual who is connected to the property is known to gardaí, but not in relation to the incident at the shopping centre and is not a suspect for anything to do with that.' No arrests have yet been made in the case and there are no immediate plans for any detentions. Evan Fitzgerald, from Kiltegan in Co Wicklow, who died in a shooting incident at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow. Photo: PA Today's News in 90 seconds - 6th June 2025 It is understood Fitzgerald, who gardaí believe was suffering from mental health problems, had been renting a room in a property in Kilkenny city in the months before the shooting. He appeared before Naas District Court on March 4 last year, after being arrested as part of a garda investigation into the sale of firearms on the dark web. Fitzgerald walked free from court after gardaí consented to bail on strict conditions. On Sunday night, he discharged a number of shots in a Carlow shopping centre before taking his own life. No other injuries were reported from the gunfire. A young girl was injured running from the scene. Glass damaged by gunshot pellets at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town. Photo: Frank McGrath Fitzgerald was due to appear before the court again this week for service of the book of evidence and was facing 13 charges of possessing firearms, ammunition and explosive substances. Sources said it is believed Fitzgerald visited his associate in recent months and it was on one of those occasions that he stored the shotgun in the rural property. It was one of a number of properties searched by gardaí and army experts in the aftermath of Sunday's incident. In another search, two bullets were found in a barrel containing a suspicious mix of alcohol and sucrose/glucose, which could possibly be components for an explosive but were declared non-viable by the Defence Forces. Fitzgerald, who was described in court as having 'a fascination with firearms', sparked terror among shoppers when he began shooting in the Fairgreen Centre in Carlow.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
USB device found taped to friend's bedroom window on day Evan Fitzgerald opened fire in Irish shopping centre
Gardaí have seized the flash drive placed in a bag and duct-taped to bedroom window The letter 'E' was spelt out in duct tape along with the package containing the deviceGardaí are trying to establish if the flash drive has any information relating to the events in Carlow on Sunday Gardaí investigating a shooting incident involving Irish gunman Evan Fitzgerald (22) have seized a USB device discovered at his friend's home on the day Fitzgerald opened fire in a shopping centre. The flash drive was placed in a secure bag and duct-taped to the friend's bedroom window before being discovered on Sunday.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
USB device found taped to friend's bedroom window on day Evan Fitzgerald shot up Irish shopping centre
Gardaí have seized the flash drive placed in a bag and duct-taped to bedroom window The letter 'E' was spelt out in duct tape along with the package containing the deviceGardaí are trying to establish if the flash drive has any information relating to the events in Carlow on Sunday Gardaí investigating a shooting incident involving Irish gunman Evan Fitzgerald (22) have seized a USB device discovered at his friend's home on the day Fitzgerald shot up a shopping centre. The flash drive was placed in a secure bag and duct-taped to the friend's bedroom window before being discovered on Sunday.
