Carlow gunman with 'fascination for firearms' was on bail for gun charges and due back in court

Evan Fitzgerald. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

A young man with a known “fascination for firearms” was on bail for gun charges when he fired shots in a Carlow shopping centre before fatally shooting himself.

Gardaí had objected to bail for Evan Fitzgerald, 22, after he was caught last year with guns and ammunition which he admitted to having bought on the so-called 'dark web', a part of the internet where users operate through anonymity.

But he was given bail on strict conditions and was due back in court on the charges this week.

On Sunday, he walked through the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town firing a shotgun in the air.

The suspect then shot himself outside the shopping centre after being challenged by armed gardaí.

Sunday evening’s incident was a "terrifying experience" for shoppers who fled the building when the gunman starting shooting in the air, Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman said.

A young girl sustained a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the centre.

But no one other than the gunman was injured by any of the shots fired, the assistant commissioner confirmed.

The scene at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow on Sunday Picture: michaelorourkephotography.ie

Fitzgerald, who was from Portrushen, Kiltegan, at the border between Co Wicklow and Co Carlow, had previously been described as “young and naïve” by a judge at a court hearing over his gun charges.

He had been caught with a handgun, an automatic rifle, and more than 40 rounds of ammunition allegedly purchased on “the dark net”.

He was arrested in March 2024 following an intelligence-led firearm trafficking operation.

Gardaí seized a semi-automatic M1911 pistol, an automatic Koch G3 Rifle, and ammunition after a car in which Mr Fitzgerald was travelling was stopped at Ponsonby Bridge near Straffan, Co Kildare.

“Mr Fitzgerald has a fascination with firearms,” Detective Garda Gavin Curran told the court. 

Mr Fitzgerald was facing 13 charges, it is understood - four for the two guns and more than 40 rounds of ammunition seized from the car in Co Kildare, and a further nine for explosive substances, guns, and ammunition found at his home address. Fitzgerald was granted bail in March 2024.

Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said reports that the suspect was on bail for firearms charges is "deeply concerning".

It is unacceptable to have such serious crimes carried out by those on bail, he said.

Forensic investigators at Fairgreen Shopping centre, Carlow, where a man died following a shooting incident on Sunday evening. Picture date: Monday June 2, 2025.

Figures released to Mr Carthy in recent weeks showed that between 2022 and 2024, some 64 crimes were committed by those on bail for possession of firearms while 2,312 crimes in the same period were carried out by individuals on bail for possession of offensive weapons.

“We are extremely lucky that no one else was seriously injured or killed in this incident which has shocked the community in Carlow," the party spokesperson for justice said.

I believe there must a wider review of the enforcement and operation of our bail laws.” 

Following the shooting, bomb disposal experts were called from Collins Barracks in Cork to examine a possible explosive device after gardaí found a bottle containing an unknown substance on the body of the dead man.

But the area was later declared safe.

Gardaí responded to Sunday's incident after receiving multiple reports of shots being fired in the shopping centre around 6.15pm.

"Gardaí responded to the scene and met a large number of people running from the shopping centre," Ms Hilman said.

Emergency services near to the scene at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow, where a incident has taken place. Picture date: Sunday June 1, 2025.

"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 plain clothes 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.

"No member of An Garda Siochana discharged a weapon.

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."

An autopsy will be carried out by the State Pathologist in Dublin on Tuesday.

The suspect was described as white Irish by gardaí. His ethnicity was mentioned after far right and anti-immigrant sentiment was being stoked online with false rumours circulating about the scale of the attack and the ethnicity of the shooter.

The Hope and Courage Collective, formerly called the Far Right Observatory, said that the tragic incident in Carlow was being used by prominent anti-migrant accounts to spread false claims and conspiracies.

"One individual made several posts containing unsubstantiated claims on X, which remain on the site with over 460,000 views. He also used the incident to promote an upcoming anti-migrant mobilisation," the group said in a statement.

"Another online influencer live streamed last night on X to an audience reaching over 40,000 viewers. In it he is heard abusing fire service personnel at the scene, and then later making baseless conspiracy theories accusing An Garda Síochána of a cover-up.

"We all suffer when social media platforms are allowed to profit from letting false, misleading or hateful content spread”.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

They have also urged anyone who may have recorded footage of the incident not to share it on social media platforms or messaging apps, but instead provide it directly to the investigating team.