A man has died and three other people have been injured in a series of incidents involving a gun in the Scottish Highlands.
A 47-year-old man was found dead at a property in the Teangue area on the Isle of Skye on Wednesday morning after officers were sent to the scene amid reports that a gun had been fired.
Just half an hour before, at 9am, emergency services responded to reports that a 32-year-old woman had been found seriously injured in Tarskavaig, Skye. She was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for treatment.
Police then attended a property in the Dornie area in Wester Ross after further gunshots were heard. A man was found with serious injuries and was taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. A second woman, whose condition is not known, was taken to Broadford Hospital.
A 39-year-old man has since been arrested in connection with the three incidents, which police believe are linked but are not related to terrorism. The suspect has also been taken to Raigmore Hospital.
Dozens of emergency vehicles were deployed to the spate of incidents.
The Scottish Highlands are popular with tourists and are known for their spectacular landscapes and medieval castles. Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said it was “one of the worst days that I can recall in the history of Skye and Lochalsh”.
Ch Supt Conrad Trickett, local policing commander for the Highlands and Islands division, said there would be a significant police presence in the area over the coming days, adding: “We will be working with partners to provide support to the local community. I would like to reassure people that we are treating these incidents as contained with no wider threat to the public.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that four people had been taken to hospital following the spate of incidents.
Ms Forbes, who has just given birth to a baby girl, added: “I cannot begin to imagine what the family and friends of those who have lost a loved one are going through, and they should be in all our thoughts and prayers right now.
“West Highland communities are close-knit, we are warm and welcoming, and this will shatter us to the core. It feels like our very heart has been ripped apart.
“I, and I am sure many others, never thought we would see such an awful day.”
Ian Blackford, SNP MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said it was very concerning news and that his thoughts were with all those affected.
In a tweet, he said: “As more details come to light, the response of the emergency services seems to have stopped this incident spreading even further than it did. Thank you for the work that you do.”
