Two teenagers found shot dead in cottage

A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man were found with gunshot wounds at a property near Tomintoul in Moray on Tuesday evening.

Grampian Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shootings but they did not comment on whether they are treating it as a domestic dispute.

A large area around the property is said to have been cordoned off as the incident was not confined to the house.

Local councillor Fiona Murdoch said: “It seems like a terrible tragedy. For two young people to have died is absolutely horrendous, whatever the circumstances may be.”

The remote region is the gateway to the Highlands and lies within Cairngorm National Park. The A939 was shut between the ski gates at Tomintoul and Corgarff as investigations take place.

The Scottish Ambulance Service alerted police to the deaths at around 6.45pm yesterday.

A statement said: “Grampian Police can confirm that an investigation is under way after a male and female were shot and fatally injured at a residential property just off the A939 near Tomintoul, Moray.

“Investigations are at an early stage but we would like to take this opportunity to reassure the local community that we are not looking for any third party in connection with this incident.”

Thirty detectives are working on the investigation alongside forensic teams.

Fingertip searches are being carried out in an attempt to piece together events leading to the deaths.

Detective Inspector Stewart Mackie said: “This incident will shock the community both within Tomintoul and Grampian as a whole.”

He added: “Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the two deaths are at an early stage; however, it is important to stress that we are not looking for any third party at this point.”

Officers were examining the driveway of the three-bedroom cottage at the centre of the investigation this afternoon.

Speaking at Lecht Ski Centre, around three miles away, Mr Mackie said he was keeping an open mind about whether it was a murder suicide, a suicide pact or an accident.

He said what had happened was a “sensitive issue” for the families involved and the community.

He did not comment on the teenagers’ injuries.

Mr Mackie added that officers needed to carry out “sensitive work” at the property and could not say how long the A939 would be closed.