Cambridgeshire: Father and son shot dead in 'targeted' attacks

Three people have been arrested after a father and son were shot dead in what police say were "targeted" attacks in villages in Cambridgeshire.

Police found the body of a 32-year-old man after gunshots were heard in Meridian Close, Bluntisham, just after 21:00 BST on Wednesday.

About 40 minutes later officers were called to reports of shots in nearby Sutton and found the body of a man, 57.

Three people are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

Ch Supt John Hutchinson told the BBC that the victims were father and son.

The incident appeared to be related to a "familial issue", he said, and he confirmed a "custody battle" was "an active line of inquiry".

"We do not believe there is any ongoing risk to the public in Cambridgeshire," he added.

A 27-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were detained at a hotel just outside Cambridge in the early hours of Thursday, while a 66-year-old man was arrested in the Worcester area.

A white Peugeot 208 has been recovered as well as a shotgun from a car.

Cambridgeshire Police asked for anyone who saw the Peugeot in the area on Wednesday night, or anyone acting suspiciously around it, to come forward, especially if they have CCTV footage.

"We believe that the vehicle was circulating in the Bluntisham and Sutton areas yesterday and we need to identify what time it came into the area," Mr Hutchinson said.

The homes in Meridian Close and The Row, in Sutton - about six-and-a-half miles away from each other - have been cordoned off and there will be an increased police presence in the area.

Residents told the BBC Meridian Close was a "very quiet" street and not the sort of area they would expect something like this to happen. 

One said it was a major operation, with a police helicopter hovering overhead and they were told on social media to stay indoors.

Mark Foreman said he heard "two loud bangs" and thought it was car doors closing outside his house.

"I went outside and there was nobody there which I thought was strange," he said.

"Subsequently I heard helicopters in the sky and obviously it's transpired that this has happened.

"It's very surprising it happened in two very sleepy villages I know very, very well.

"I've lived in the area 20-odd years and nothing like that has ever happened so it was a very strange thing to wake up to."

Martin Crowhurst, 75, who has lived in Bluntisham for 17 years, said: "For a village like this and in a community like this I find it astounding because it's so quiet.

"It just makes you feel a bit uneasy."

Dog walker, Olivia Winter, added that it was "quite worrying because we never have anything happen down here".

"It's quite a shock that something would happen in such a small place," she said.

In Sutton, just off the A142 between Ely and Chatteris, two semi-detached properties at the end of a row, which look out on to hedges and fields, have been cordoned off. 

Floral tributes have been left at the scene and residents living near the houses said there was a feeling of shock.

Eyewitness Gordon Murray, 62, who lives near the sealed-off house in Sutton, said he saw police cars "racing down" the road and heard shouts from armed officers.

"I thought it was an altercation or something. Then I saw the armed police," he said.

"They were shouting something to the homeowners. That was it."

Mr Murray said officers later asked him if he had CCTV footage.

Forensic officers have been patrolling both areas while police have appealed for anyone who saw anything to contact them.

West Mercia Police said officers from the West Midlands force spotted a vehicle with a possible suspect in heading south into its area of the M5 at about 01:00 BST.

It was stopped close to junction five for Droitwich using a stinger and a 66-year-old man was arrested.

Cambridgeshire's police and crime commissioner, Darryl Preston, said he understood how shocked local people would be but insisted the incidents were "thought to be targeted, therefore there is no risk to the wider community".

Shailesh Vara, the Conservative MP for North West Cambridgeshire, said he hoped locals would "carry on as normal" and urged witnesses to come forward.

"This is tragic news from what are normally quiet areas of Cambridgeshire and it has really shocked the local community," he said.

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