Evan Fitzgerald, the gunman who fired shots into the air in a Carlow shopping centre before taking his own life, had possession of more weapons than previously reported, it has emerged.
On June 1st, Mr Fitzgerald (22) entered the busy Fairgreen Shopping Centre and using a pump action shotgun, stolen in a burglary from a neighbour, began firing shots in the air before turning the gun on himself.
At the time, the former steelyard worker from Portrushen, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was facing charges for possession of a military grade assault rifle, a handgun and ammunition which he had allegedly attempted to buy on the dark web.
Undercover gardaí sold him the guns, which they had decommissioned, after being tipped off that Mr Fitzgerald was attempting to source weapons on the internet.
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Carlow gunman Evan Fitzgerald had other weapons, Garda investigation found
Armed officers then forcibly stopped his car and arrested him a short time later.
It has now emerged that following the shooting incident in Fairgreen Shopping Centre, gardaí located further weapons, which have been conclusively linked to Mr Fitzgerald.
Gardaí carried out several searches following the incident to determine Mr Fitzgerald’s motive that day. During these searches they found another shotgun and a replica firearm.
A big concern for investigators is that they have been unable to determine the source of these items. They may have been taken in a burglary or sourced online, sources say.
The Garda has faced significant criticism is recent weeks for its handling of the Fitzgerald case.
Senator and former minister for justice Michael McDowell described the Garda operation to sell him the guns as “entrapment” and claimed misleading evidence had been provided to the District Court judge in Mr Fitzgerald’s case. Mr McDowell had raised court reports that suggested gardaí had told the judge they were “investigating” how Mr Fitzgerald acquired the guns.
The Garda has referred these comments to Fiosrú, the Garda Ombudsman.
Labour TD Alan Kelly questioned the need for gardaí to deliver the weapons to Mr Fitzgerald, describing him as a “poor, tragic, vulnerable individual”.
Gardaí have defended their handling of the case and said they used internationally accepted tactics in the interests of public safety.
Senior sources said they accepted Mr Fitzgerald was a vulnerable person with mental issues and that he did not have links to terrorism or organised crime.
However, they could not rule out that he was planning a mass shooting of the type seen in the United States and other countries in recent years.
They said investigations show the young man shared some characteristics of mass shooters, including a fascination with firearms and feelings of deep isolation.
As part of the investigation, they have been examining Mr Fitzgerald’s internet use to determine if he may have been under the influence of violent online figures.
Investigators pointed to the fact that searches of Mr Fitzgerald’s home led to the discovery of ammunition and material which could be used to make explosives.
On Thursday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and his deputy Justin Kelly defended their handling of the case, with the commissioner raising the recent school shooting “by a lone gunman” in Austria which left 11 people dead.
“This is sadly a more frequent occurrence,” Mr Harris told a meeting of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee.
“There is very insidious material on the internet which seeks to radicalise young people. We have to look at the individual and the threat to the general public and deal with that appropriately.
“I have to say, this was a very successful operation in that we made sure a threat to the public did not arise from the circumstances we were dealing with.”
There was “no other way of doing it”, Mr Harris said. The suicide of Mr Fitzgerald was “obviously very tragic” but did not arise from the Garda operation, he added.
Since his death, the firearms case against Mr Fitzgerald has been withdrawn. Two other young men who were allegedly in the car when gardaí stopped Mr Fitzgerald with the firearms remain before the court.
Daniel Quinn Burke, of Allendale Lawns, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow has entered a guilty plea to the charges while his co-accused Shane Kinsella, of Tynock, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow has yet to enter a plea.
