Farmer held over burglary shooting death

Image caption, Police remained at the scene on Thursday

By Isaac Ashe & Dan Martin

BBC News, Whaley Bridge

A farmer is being questioned on suspicion of murder and attempted murder over the shooting of two men during a burglary in Derbyshire, the BBC understands.

Derbyshire Police was called to reports of a burglary in Eccles Road, in Whaley Bridge, at 01:20 BST on Wednesday.

Officers found a man at the scene with fatal gunshot wounds and another with a gunshot wound nearby.

A man was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

People in the town told the BBC they have been left unsettled by Wednesday’s events.

Keely Tomlinson, 25, said: “I was shocked – you don’t hear about things like that in Whaley.

“Everyone is the same, everyone says they are scared. What are our children growing up into?

“A lot of people like Whaley because it is a quiet area and not much happens here.”

Fellow resident Dave Arnfield, 65, said the shooting was “totally unexpected”.

“Personally, from a resident’s point of view, it is very sad someone has lost their life,” he added.

Image source, BBC

Image caption, A police car was blocking Eccles Road on Thursday

Simon Barnwell, 60, who lives in Eccles Road, said: “It’s a bit of a shock.

“It’s a pretty quiet town really. You don’t expect something of this magnitude anywhere – even in the centre of Birmingham or Manchester.

“We had a break-in on Eccles Road but that was 10 years ago now and everyone has alarm systems and video doorbells nowadays.”

Police said investigations continued at two properties on Thursday and would do so “for some time”.

At the scene

Snaking up out of Whaley Bridge, Eccles Road takes you high up along a ridge above the sleepy area and neighbouring Chapel-en-le-Frith, with stunning views.

It’s no wonder it’s usually popular with cyclists, joggers and walkers. But not today, with police vehicles parked up firmly blocking off the single-track road.

Officers on the cordon told me they expect this to be the case for several days.

Down in the town centre, there is a real mixture of emotions being expressed – shock, sadness, but also a feeling that police will need to unpick what is clearly a complex situation.

The force said the man arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder remained in custody.

It said the seriously injured man had been taken to hospital and arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

Another man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary, after the vehicle he was travelling in was stopped on the A6 near Chapel-en-le-Frith on Wednesday afternoon. He remains in custody.

Divisional commander Ch Supt Dave Kirby said: “We appreciate the impact this incident is having on this small rural community and we’d like to thank local residents for their help with this investigation so far.

“We are aware there has been some speculation locally around this and while we are in the early stages of the investigation, we believe this is a targeted incident.

“At this stage we don’t believe there is any wider risk to the public.”

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