Pictured: ‘Suspected burglar, 19, shot lifeless throughout alleged break
- Locals named Marcus Smith, 19, as the man killed by a gunshot during incident
- Police found Mr Smith with fatal injuries inside secluded Derbyshire property
This is the suspected burglar shot dead by a farmer in an alleged bungled break-in.
Locals named Marcus Smith, 19, as the man who died of fatal gunshot wounds during the incident in the Peak District early yesterday.
Officers were called to reports of a break-in at a property on a remote country lane, in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, at around 1.20am.
They found Mr Smith with fatal injuries inside the property and another seriously hurt in the road outside.
A former pupil at Chapel-en-le-Frith High School, Mr Smith was a footballer who had played for local club Chapel Town FC.
Officers cordoned off a large section of Eccles Road following the alleged break-in . Pictured: Marcus Smith
They found Mr Smith with fatal injuries inside the property and another seriously hurt outside
A former pupil at Chapel-en-le-Frith High School, Mr Smith had played for his local team
Today his nurse mother, Kerry, posted a picture of her and her son on her Facebook page.
It prompted several comments from friends telling of their ‘heartbreak’ and sympathy for her loss.
One wrote: ‘We are so shocked and so heartbroken, nothing can express how deeply sorry we are.’
Officers cordoned off a large section of Eccles Road following the alleged break-in and launched a murder investigation.
Police at the scene in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire after the shooting on Wednesday morning
The injured man was taken to hospital for treatment and arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.
A third suspect was also arrested on suspicion of the same offence after being stopped by police in a vehicle on the A6, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, several hours later.
The farmer was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and was today still being quizzed by detectives. He has been named locally but the Mail is not identifying him.
Neighbours said the incident appeared to have been a ‘burglary that went wrong.’
A woman, who lives close the farm, said: ‘The farm is in a remote location, quite deep in the valley and set back from the main road.
‘I suspect it was an opportunistic burglary that has gone wrong.’
Another local said: ‘This is a small community, everyone knows everyone around here.’
Another woman added: ‘Obviously, it’s shocking when something like this happens on your doorstep. I’ve had people ringing me asking if I’m okay. This is normally a sleepy, little town.’
Chief Superintendent Dave Kirby, of Derbyshire police, said he believed the incident was a ‘targeted attack’ and there was no wider risk to the public.
‘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,’ he said.
‘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.
‘Residents in the area will see an increased police presence in the area for some time as investigations continue and we will provide further updates as soon as we are able.
‘In the meantime, I’d ask anyone who has any information to please contact us, in confidence.’
