Two shot dead in "targeted" attacks in Cambridgeshire
Police have launched a double murder investigation
Last updated 30th Mar 2023
Two men have been shot dead in what police are calling 'targeted attacks' in Cambridgeshire.
Police were called to Meridian Close in Bluntisham just after 9pm last night (Wednesday 29th March) to reports of gunshots.
Officers arrived to find the body of a 32 year-old man inside a property with a gunshot wound, they tell us they're treating his death as murder.
Then at 9.37pm, police received a call from a person in Sutton, near Ely, again reporting hearing gunshots.
The body of a 57 year-old man was found at a property in The Row with gunshot wounds, his death is also being treated as murder.
Cambridgeshire Police say they are not in a position to name either victim at this stage as formal identification has not been carried out.
A 27-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were arrested in the early hours of today in Cambridge, while a 66-year-old man was arrested in the Worcester area.
All three were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
A car that was believed to have been used by the offender, a white Peugeot 208, and a shotgun have been recovered.
The properties in Meridian Close and The Row have been cordoned off and police officers remain at the scenes.
Forensic officers in white suits worked at the scene on Thursday morning, with two bunches of flowers left on the drive and uniformed officers and a marked car beside blue-and-white police tape sealing off the homes.
"I didn't know they were gunshots at the time"
Gordon Murray, who lives near two semi-detached houses that have been sealed off by murder detectives in Sutton, Cambridgeshire, said: "I saw the police cars racing down here," he said.
"There was a lot of shouting.
"I thought it was an altercation or something. Then I saw the armed police.
"They were shouting something to the homeowners. That was it.
"I stood in the window watching."
Sarah Lown, who also lives near to the houses sealed off by murder detectives in Sutton, Cambridgeshire, said she heard three loud bangs on Wednesday evening.
"I didn't know it was gunshots at the time," the 38-year-old designer said.
"It was about 9.15pm; I thought it was something blowing over as I heard a bang.
"There are pallets in our garden that I thought could have fallen over.
"I didn't think anything crazy had happened.
"I heard two more - it was bang, space, bang.
"Whether or not they were each gunshots I don't know; then police were outside the house."
No wider threat to the public
Detective Inspector Mark Butler, from the major crime unit, said: “Tonight we have launched two linked murder investigations following the shootings of two men at separate properties in the county.
“These events will be shocking to local people and there will be understandable concerns within local communities, however, we are treating the attacks as targeted and there is no wider risk to the general public.
"There will be an increased police presence in the areas concerned today and officers and scenes of crime officers will be at the scenes throughout the day.
“Our thoughts also go out to the family and friends of the victims. Specially trained officers are in touch with them and they are helping our investigation.
“Detectives are now beginning inquiries into how these events unfolded and we are appealing to anyone who was in either area and saw anyone acting suspiciously or a white Peugeot 208.
“Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could be very important to our investigation.”