Whaley Bridge: Man's body found after Derbyshire village burglary died of gunshot wounds as 3 arrested

The man, whose body was found following a burglary in a quiet Derbyshire village in the early hours of Wednesday (May 1), had died from gunshot wounds. Police were called to a property in Eccles Road in Whaley Bridge at around 1.20am where he found a man in his late teens who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The man was not the owner of the property, the police said.

A second man, who is in his teens, was also found with a gunshot wound nearby in the same road. He suffered serious injuries and has been taken to hospital where he remains. He has also been arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

A third man, who is in his 50s, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remains in police custody. A fourth man, who is in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary after the vehicle he was travelling in was stopped on the A6 on Wednesday afternoon. He remains in police custody.

The police said they also had received reports of a burglary at the Eccles Road property on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 30, at around 3.30pm. Officers attended the scene and investigations into this incident are ongoing. They added: “At this stage we are keeping an open mind as to whether the two incidents are linked.”

The force added scenes remain in place at the two properties in Eccles Road and will remain in place for some time while investigations continue. The road is currently closed from the junction with Milton Lane and is expected to remain closed for some time.

Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Dave Kirby, said: “I’d like to thank the local community for all their support during this investigation so far. We appreciate the impact that an incident like this can have on communities so we are grateful to all those who have helped during these early stages.

“Officers will remain at the scene today and for some time to come as the investigations continue. If anyone does have any information, we’d ask them to please contact us, in confidence.”

Those with information can contact the incident room directly by using the Public Portal or contact the police on their website or social media, quoting reference 36 of 1 May.