One person dead and child injured after gunman with ‘explosives’ fires at Tesco
A man has died and a girl has been injured after a suspected shooting at a shopping centre.
The bomb squad and emergency services were alerted after reports of a man with a suspicious item strapped to his body in Carlow, Ireland.
The incident unfolded in a Tesco at the Fairgreen shopping centre at about 6.15pm today.
Details of the suspected shooting are yet to be confirmed, but it is believed a man fired shots in the supermarket.
He was fatally injured and died after what is believed to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
A young girl was injured and was treated at the scene by paramedics before going home with her family.
The suspect was confirmed as a ‘white Irish adult male.’
The sound of shots can be heard on CCTV footage captured in a barber’s shop in the shopping centre.
The worried barbers are startled after a loud bang comes from the centre, followed by another shot, which appears to frighten the customers.
Sources told the Irish Mirror the man was carrying suspicious items.
The army’s bomb disposal unit is attending, and the area has been sealed off after concerns that the suspect may have carried an explosive device.
The body of the man remains at the scene, but he will not be removed until the area has been declared safe.
The police said: ‘Gardaí are currently at the scene of an incident at a retail premises in Carlow town. The alarm was raised shortly after 6:15pm.
'People were terrified'
A local Fine Gael councillor Fergal Browne described the mayhem on a bank holiday Sunday after the incident: ‘People were obviously terrified, a bank holiday Sunday, going into town to do their shopping.
‘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.’
He added: ‘I think it is all under control now, it seems the worst is over.
‘You could not make it up. It’s very upsetting for everyone who was involved in it or who witnessed it.’
‘The premises has been evacuated and the scene is preserved. The Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has been requested to attend.
‘At this time, there is no further concern for public safety. Anyone who may have recorded footage of the incident is urged not to share it on social media platforms or messaging apps, but instead to provide it to Gardaí at Carlow Garda Station.’
Ireland’s taoiseach, Michéal Martin, wrote on X: ‘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.’
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