The Mayor of Carlow County Council has called for urgent reform of the country’s bail laws following Sunday’s shooting incident.
22-year-old Evan FitzGerald fired a number of shots into the air at Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow Town, before taking his own life.
A steelyard worker from Wicklow, he had been granted bail after being charged with possession of guns, ammunition and explosive materials.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Fianna Fáil Mayor of Carlow County Council Fintan Phelan said the Government needs to restrict who is eligible for bail.
“Let me state clearly and unequivocally, individuals charged with possession of serious weapons - such as firearms - should not be eligible for bail,” he said.
“The potential threat to public safety is too great and we saw that this weekend.
“If changes to legislation are required to support this, so be it.
“I will be advocating within my party.”
Gardaí at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie.Cllr Phelan added that “any reasonable person” would be opposed to granting bail to a person who had allegedly bought firearms on the dark web.
“I think it’s very clear to anybody who is listening and taking a reasonable approach that that person does represent a serious risk to our communities,” he said.
“Indeed, that is born out.”
Cllr Phelan described firing a gun in a busy shopping centre as a “deeply shocking and serious crime” and people in Carlow “remain in shock this morning.”
“The public are very anxious for answers - I share that concern deeply,” he said.
“I love this town and it’s a wonderful place to live and what happened on Sunday was a traumatic and deeply unsettling experience.
“Regarding these investigations, it’s important we allow the Gardaí the necessary time and space to carry it out thoroughly and to encourage anyone with footage or information to contact the Gardaí.”
A post-mortem on the body of Fitzgerald is due to be carried out by the State Pathologist.
Main image: Members of the Garda Forensic Technical Unit at Fairgreen Shopping Centre. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie.
