Ireland Crime

Reports the judge's statement that the court has no power to overrule Garda consent to bail, the formal withdrawal of four firearms charges following the accused's death, and details of the shooting at Fairgreen Shopping Centre.

Gardaí issued a fresh witness appeal after the post-mortem was completed; results withheld for operational reasons. Confirms Fitzgerald was on bail facing 13 firearms and explosives charges and was due to have the book of evidence presented at Naas District Court on 4 June. A young girl sustained a minor leg injury falling while running from the centre.

Adds the Taoiseach's public criticism of misinformation (including false claims of seven deaths), confirmation of a young girl's minor leg injury, that postmortem results are withheld for operational reasons, the shopping centre's Wednesday reopening, and a witness account from local resident Pa Cahill.

Adds details on Fitzgerald's bail history (no prior convictions, conditions relaxed from daily to weekly), EOD findings (alcohol and energetic material mix), the darknet gun-buying surveillance operation, the two specific firearms seized (G3 Heckler & Koch and Remington M1911), his 13 charges and full admissions, his vulnerability and fear of prison, and political reactions including calls from the Carlow mayor and Sinn Féin for bail law reform.

Provides background on Fitzgerald's 13 charges, the DocB firearms trafficking investigation, the controlled stop in Straffan, Co Kildare, the dark net purchase of the firearms, his bail history, and details of his death and postmortem arrangements.

Confirms Fitzgerald was due to face 13 charges (not just four), details the sequence of the shooting (fired into the air, no gardaí discharged shots, fatally wounded by his own shotgun), reveals the dark net gun purchase investigation by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and identifies the two seized firearms as a G3 Heckler & Koch machine gun and a Remington M1911 handgun.

Identifies the gunman as Evan Fitzgerald, 22, who was on bail for 13 firearms and explosives charges. Provides details of the shotgun used, the self-inflicted fatal wound, a nine-year-old girl's minor leg injury, and the EOD examination which found no viable device at the shopping centre but 2 rounds of ammunition and a barrel with alcohol and energetic material at a private residence.

Adds details on Fitzgerald's darknet gun purchases (G3 machine gun, Remington M1911), the specific sequence of events at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, the EOD team's involvement, confirmation of his nationality as Irish, and the referral to the Police Ombudsman under the 2024 Act.

Identifies the gunman as Evan Fitzgerald, 22, a steel worker from Rathvilly, Co Carlow, who was on bail for 13 firearms and explosives charges from a March 2024 incident in Co Kildare. Reveals the weapons involved (Heckler and Koch G3 and Colt M1911), the full list of 13 charges, his court history, and that gardaí believe the shooting was a public suicide.

Initial reporting of the shooting incident; confirms the man fired several shots, a young child was injured, the man is believed to have shot himself, and suspicious items strapped to his body required EOD examination.

Fourth update: body removed to Dublin mortuary, post mortem scheduled for 2 June, technical examination of car park scene concluded, cars being released to owners, witness appeal for those present between 6:00pm and 6:30pm.

Update on the investigation: Army EOD examination complete and area declared safe, scene cordoned for forensic work, incident room established at Carlow Garda Station with a SIO appointed, and an appeal issued for witnesses and footage from between 6:00pm and 6:30pm.

Update (3) from the Garda Eastern Region confirms no garda discharged a weapon, the suspect self-inflicted the fatal wound, a young girl was injured from falling, an EOD team examined an unknown bottle on the deceased, the deceased is a white Irish national in his early 20s, and a coroner's inquest will be held.

Initial Garda press release reporting the firearm discharge and death at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow, on 1 June 2025, with the Army EOD team attending and the scene cordoned off overnight.

Confirms the postmortem examination has been completed (results withheld for operational reasons) and renews the witness appeal for anyone at Fairgreen Shopping Centre between approximately 6:00pm and 6:30pm on 1 June 2025.