Scene of fatal supermarket shooting incident in Ireland declared safe

The scene of a fatal shooting incident at a Co Carlow supermarket has been declared safe after an examination by Irish army explosives officers, the Garda has 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.

The PA news agency understands that it appears that the dead man’s wounds were self-inflicted.

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 Garda said the area had been declared safe.

Irish premier, 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.

Gardai have said the man who died was a white Irish male.

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.

The Garda said 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 told PA.

“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.”

Gardai 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.