Gunman with 'bomb attached to leg' shoots 9-year-old boy before turning weapon on himself

A man has died and a child has been injured following a shooting incident at a shopping centre in this evening.

It is understood that a nine-year-old boy was shot in the leg and some reports indicated the shooter had what police feared was explosives attached to his leg, at the Fairgreen in Carlow at around 6.15pm.

The lone gunman appeared to have fired a number of shots in the supermarket before turning the weapon on himself. It appears the fatal shot was self-inflicted.

The child suffered a leg injury during the terrifying incident, believed to be non-life-threatening.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and a large cordon has been put in place around the shopping Centre in Carlow town.

Videos on social media show people shoppers fleeing in panic as gunshots can be heard in the background.

The Gardai raced to the scene and the site was evacuated.

The body of the man remains at the scene, the gardai have called in the Defence Forces bomb squad to examine his body.

Although video footage is circulating on social media the Gardai has issued a statement urging people not to share videos, including on messaging apps.

A spokesperson said: "Gardai are currently at the scene of an incident at a retail premises in Carlow town. The alarm was raised shortly after 6:15pm.

"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 Gardai at Carlow Garda Station.

"Anyone with information is asked to contact Carlow Garda Station at 059-9136620 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. No additional information is available at this time. Further updates will follow."

The Express has contacted the Gardai for further updates.

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