3 days ago
Post-mortem examination due on body of Carlow gunman
A post-mortem examination will take place this morning on the body of a man who died following a shooting incident at a shopping centre in Carlow town on Sunday evening.
The body of the deceased man, 22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald from near Kiltegan in Co Wicklow, was taken from the scene yesterday afternoon to Dublin, where a full postmortem will be carried out today by the state pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers.
The deceased was out on bail on firearms charges, and the garda investigation will look at how he came to obtain the shotgun which was fired into the air at the Fairgreen shopping centre, before he died from a self-inflicted wound.
At a press conference yesterday afternoon, gardaí said that the shooting incident was "a terrifying experience for every person that was present".
Gardaí said it had received multiple reports of shots fired in the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in the town and responded at the scene, where they were met with a large number of people running from the premises.
An unarmed uniformed unit arrived, where they observed the suspect - a white Irish man in his 20s - exiting the shopping centre.
The suspect then discharged a shotgun into the air.
Another plain-clothed armed garda unit responded with their official firearms and identified themselves as armed gardaí.
No garda shots were fired during the incident.
The man who has died was described as having a fascination with guns when he was granted bail for firearm offences last year.
Gardaí told a court he had apparently obtained guns for recreational use and not with criminal intent. He was granted bail on strict conditions.
Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman from the Eastern Region said gardaí now understand that the man had walked through the shopping centre and had discharged the firearm into the air on a number of occasions.
She said nobody was injured by the shots discharged by the suspect.
A young girl in the shopping centre with her parents sustained a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the scene.
Following the incident, gardaí implemented a cordon around the shopping centre and carpark.
A bottle containing an unknown substance was observed by gardaí on the deceased, gardaí said.
The army bomb disposal unit subsequently conducted examinations and declared the scene safe.
Emergency services responded to the shooting shortly after 6pm yesterday evening
An incident room has been established at Carlow Garda Station, with a senior investigating officer appointed to lead the investigation.
A family liaison officer is providing support to the deceased's family, gardaí said.
Meanwhile, Carlow County Council said it is supporting the HSE in the provision of psycho-social supports for people affected by the shooting incident.
Further support is being provided today by the HSE at the Shamrock Plaza Primary Care Centre for those impacted by this incident.
'Gardaí have urged anyone who may have recorded footage of the incident not to share it on social media platforms or messaging apps, but instead to provide it to gardaí at Carlow Garda Station.
Gardaí are continuing to appeal for information from anyone who was at the shopping centre between 6pm and 6:30pm on Sunday night.
They have also praised the management and business community at the shopping centre for their assistance, and they have said gardaí will work with the local community as it comes to terms with this incident.
