Bravery honour for police who tackled Skye shooter

Unarmed police officers who tackled a man responsible for a series of shootings in the Scottish Highlands are to be honoured for their bravery by Police Scotland, the force has said.

Finlay MacDonald, 41, repeatedly stabbed his wife Rowena at their home on the island of Skye before driving 17 minutes to another village, where he shot and killed his brother-in-law John MacKinnon.

He then drove for another 40 minutes before shooting and injuring Fay MacKenzie and her husband John in their home in Dornie on the Scottish mainland.

MacDonald was jailed for at least 28 years following a trial in November.

Highlands and Islands divisional commander, Ch Supt Robert Shepherd, confirmed that officers who arrested MacDonald in Dornie would be recognised for their bravery.

He told BBC Scotland News: "It was absolutely amazing what they did.

"To intercede in the way that they did, and then for other colleagues to come and provide first aid in an incredibly challenging, sort of dangerous environment, I have nothing but huge respect and admiration for the officers involved.

"They have gone, without doubt, above and beyond what is expected of them and took the matter into their own hands to intercede and without a shadow of a doubt, in my mind, they stopped further loss of life by their heroism."

The attacks took place over a period of about an hour, starting before 09:00 on Wednesday 10 August 2022.

The first incident was in the MacDonalds' family home in Tarskavaig on the Sleat peninsula, an area in the south of Skye.

After stabbing his wife, MacDonald drove off with "enough ammunition to start a small war", his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

He went to his sister Lyn Anne MacKinnon's home in nearby Teangue where he shot her husband John in the kitchen.

The 47-year-old distillery worker died despite the efforts of emergency services.

MacDonald then drove to Dornie.

Police responding to the 999 call about the attack on Mrs MacDonald spotted his Subaru and followed him to the village in Wester Ross.

Officers were advised not to stop MacDonald and were told that armed officers were also responding to the incident.

MacDonald was heading for the home of John MacKenzie - a retired osteopath he blamed for making a back injury worse.

When he arrived, MacDonald shot 65-year-old Fay MacKenzie through a window of the house.

Mr MacKenzie, who had been outside feeding pigs, arrived home and realised something was wrong.

The 65-year-old was shot in the back while trying to protect his wife as they sought safety in a bathroom.

The couple then tackled MacDonald.

Mr MacKenzie wrestled the gun from him and Mrs MacKenzie hit their attacker with a "hefty" metal toilet roll holder.

She struck MacDonald at least twice before hearing a voice say: "That will do."

It was then she noticed police were in the house.

One officer used a spray similar to a pepper spray on MacDonald but it did not seem to have an effect.

Another officer then struck him with a baton while his colleague used a Taser.