Emergency services attended the scene at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow (PA)
The scene of a fatal shooting incident at a Carlow shopping centre has been declared safe after an examination by army explosives officers, garda sources have said.
A man in his 20s died in the incident at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre on Sunday evening.
Gardai responded at around 6.15pm after reports of several shots being fired at the Tesco store.
READ NEXT: Man jailed for serious assault on Kilkenny garda
The Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit was called to the scene and specialist robots were deployed to examine the man’s body and surrounding area.
On Monday morning, the gardaí said the area had been declared safe.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” at the incident.
One local councillor told how people ran terrified from the shopping centre in Carlow Town as shots were fired.
A girl sustained minor injuries in the incident but did not require hospital treatment.
Gardaí have said the man who died was a white Irish male.
I am deeply shocked and saddened at the shooting incident in Carlow this evening.
My thoughts are with the families affected and the local community in Carlow after what was a very serious and traumatic incident.
I urge anyone who has information to speak to the Gardaí.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 1, 2025
The scene remained cordoned off on Monday morning as both the Garda Technical Bureau and the Office of the State Pathologist conducted examinations.
An incident room has been established at Carlow Garda Station, with a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) appointed to lead the investigation.
READ ALSO: Driver tells Kilkenny garda: ‘I won’t be paying’ fine - ends up in court
Gardaí said that a family liaison officer was providing support to the dead man’s family.
Local Fine Gael councillor Fergal Browne said people in the town had been left terrified.
“People were obviously terrified, a bank holiday Sunday, going into town to do their shopping,” he said.
“People ran from the centre crying and upset.
“There was a bunch of foreign students in the area, who could not believe they were caught up in the middle of all of it.
“It’s a busy spot. We launched a photographic exhibition there on Friday night in the shopping centre.”
Mr Browne added: “It’s very upsetting for everyone who was involved in it or who witnessed it.”
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.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.