A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the deaths of three people at a property in Luton on Friday morning.
Officers were called at about 5.30am amid concerns for the occupants of a flat in Leabank. Emergency services attended and discovered three people with injuries; all three were pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after, an 18-year-old was arrested in Bramingham Road. He has been taken into custody for questioning and an investigation has been launched by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit.
John Murphy, assistant chief constable of Bedfordshire police, told a press conference that a weapon had been recovered during a search after the arrest of the 18-year-old. Murphy said details about the victims, including age and sex, would not be released until their next of kin had been contacted, adding the force was focused on supporting relatives.
The three people were found at a flat in a tower block. Murphy said that “at this stage” police were not looking for anybody else. He added that the three people “had been very badly injured” and “were subsequently pronounced dead at the scene”.
Davy Bridgestock, who lives in Leabank with his partner, Lauren Purcell, and their two sons, told ITV News he was woken by one of his boys screaming.
“I didn’t know what to think, I went out to check on them and looked out the window, and saw armed police everywhere, balaclavas, even had the guns … we didn’t know what to do.”
Purcell added: “The fire brigade was there as well; we weren’t sure if there was a fire, we weren’t sure what was going on. We’ve never had armed police here before, it was very frightening.”
They said the area was usually very quiet.
Det Supt Rob Hall said: “This is a truly appalling incident, which has sadly resulted in the tragic deaths of three people. We understand this news will be incredibly shocking, but please be assured we will work tirelessly to establish the full circumstances surrounding these deaths.
“One man has been arrested in connection with the incident and we do not believe there is any threat to the wider community. However, we appreciate people will be concerned, so there will be an increased presence of community police officers in and around the area today and over the coming days to answer questions and provide reassurance.”
Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 quoting Operation Longacre.
