Two men were shot dead in linked incidents in Cambridgeshire last night in villages a few miles from each other.
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder following the shootings.
Police were called to a house in Meridian Close, Bluntisham, at just after 9pm yesterday (29 March) with reports of gunshots.
They arrived to find the body of a 32-year-old man inside the house with a gunshot wound and are now 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 house in The Row with gunshot wounds and his death is also being treated as murder.
“We are not in a position to name either victim at this stage as formal identification has not been carried out,” said a police spokesperson.
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 houses in Meridian Close and The Row have been cordoned off and police officers remain at the scenes.
Detective Inspector Mark Butler, from the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Cambridgeshire major crime unit, said: “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.”
Anyone with information should report online here or via the web chat service and quote Operation Scan.
Those without internet access should call 101.
Bluntisham Parish Council said in a statement it was “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic incident which unfolded in our village last night”.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the loved ones of the victims of this horrific crime which has rocked our community,” it said in a statement.
“We’d also like to extend our sympathies to our neighbours in nearby Sutton, who will be feeling the same shock and sorrow following such an awful event affecting our two villages.”
