Fiosrú finds no fault by gardaí in death of Evan Fitzgerald at Carlow shopping centre
Evan Fitzgerald, 22, took his own life at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow on June 1, 2025, after firing several shots into the air with a stolen shotgun. He had been the subject of a police sting in which undercover gardaí supplied guns and ammunition, and was awaiting trial on firearms charges at the time. Two other young men in the same vehicle as Fitzgerald were given suspended sentences for possession of firearms. Fiosrú closed its investigation in July 2026, finding no criminal offence or disciplinary breach by the gardaí who responded to the incident.
- Reported
- Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Evan Fitzgerald, 22, took his own life at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow on June 1, 2025, after firing several shots into the air with a stolen shotgun.
- Fitzgerald had been the focus of a police sting in which undercover gardaí supplied guns and ammunition to the then 21-year-old, and the weapons had been purchased through the dark web.
- One of the weapons was a G3 assault rifle stolen by the IRA from Norwegian reserves in 1984 and recovered more than 20 years later.
- While awaiting trial on firearms charges, Fitzgerald stole another weapon from a neighbour.
- Where
- Fitzgerald was from Kiltegan, Co Wicklow.
- Charges
- Fitzgerald was charged with possession of firearms.
- Sentence
- Two other young men in the same vehicle as Fitzgerald were given suspended sentences for possession of firearms.
- Investigation
- Fiosrú closed its investigation into the death, finding no criminal offence or disciplinary breach by the responding gardaí.
- Fiosrú confirmed it was not looking into two other referrals relating to gardaí actions while investigating Fitzgerald on separate charges in 2024.
10 statements extracted from the articles
- whatEvan Fitzgerald took his own life at a Carlow shopping centre. (irishtimes.com)
- whatFitzgerald fired several shots into the air using a stolen shotgun before turning the gun on himself. (irishtimes.com)
- whatWhile awaiting trial on the firearms charges, Fitzgerald stole another weapon from a neighbour. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe guns had been purchased through the dark web. (irishtimes.com)
- whatOne weapon was a G3 assault rifle stolen by the IRA from Norwegian reserves in 1984 and recovered more than 20 years ago. (irishtimes.com)
- whereFitzgerald was from Kiltegan, Co Wicklow. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationFitzgerald was the focus of a police sting in which undercover gardaí supplied guns and ammunition to the then 21-year-old. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationFiosrú confirmed it was not looking into two other referrals relating to actions gardaí took while investigating Fitzgerald on separate charges in 2024. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeFitzgerald was charged with possession of firearms. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceTwo other young men were given suspended sentences for possession of firearms in the same vehicle as Fitzgerald. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 29 Jul2026Fiosrú finds no fault by gardaí in death of Evan Fitzgerald at Carlow shopping centre
Fiosrú closed its investigation into the death of Evan Fitzgerald, finding no criminal offence or disciplinary breach by responding gardaí. The article details the background of the police sting operation, the political controversy over alleged entrapment, and the suspended sentences given to two other young men in the same vehicle.
victim, Evan Fitzgerald, 22, male, irish (judged from name)Evan Fitzgeraldconvicted, maleconvicted, male