Garda commissioner prodded by Labour TD in relation to Carlow shooting incident
Labour TD Alan Kelly asked Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to clarify some points in relation to the Carlow shooter
At the Coiste Oireachtas on June 10th, Labour TD Alan Kelly asked the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris a number of question in relation to the Carlow shooting incident from earlier this month.
The horror incident occurred shortly after 6:15pm on Sunday, the 1st of June 2025, at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in County Carlow. When a young man armed with a gun fired a shot into the air before being confronted by armed gardaí. The man - named locally as 22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald - died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
The Labour TD starts by saying: "Evan Fitzgerald died in Carlow Shopping Centre (Fairgreen) on Sunday June the 1st, unfortunately his passing was a very tragic situation as we all know. The Gardaí have said that he was a young man with some health issues, he was on bail awaiting a court case with charges on firearm offenses, he has now passed and the case has passed with him. What was the provenance of the guns the deceased young man bought off the dark web? Where did they come from? Was this a controlled delivery of guns and ammunition. Did the undercover Gardaí engage face-to-face with this young man prior to this delivery of guns and ammunition? And were any other strategies considered in relation to this scenario given the profile of the young man and the fact that he had been met by Gardaí?"
The Garda Commissioner responded by saying: "In respect of the incident being referred to, there are two other individuals that are still before the courts, so it is again very difficult for me to comment on a specific incident."
"I would say that controlled delivery is a very sensitive police methodology, we use it for both organised crime and for terrorist offences."
Alan Kelly TD then once again asked if the "Comissioner was in a position to say whether Gardaí engaged with this individual prior to this controlled delivery that was organised by an Garda Síochána?"
The Garda Commisioner once again reiterated that the matter is still before the courts.