John MacKinnon, The father of four who was killed in a string of shootings and stabbings in northwest Scotland has been identified.
Shootings in Skye and Dornie
In a string of “connected” occurrences yesterday, John MacKinnon, 47, was fatally shot at his home in Sasaig, in the Teangue region of the Isle of Skye.
According to local reports, he was attempting to save others by preventing his attacker from obtaining the pistol.
One of John’s high school classmates called him “one of the loveliest men” and said he worked at a nearby distillery and castle.
Who was John MacKinnon?
In a string of shootings around Skye, one guy died and three others were hurt.
On Wednesday morning, John MacKinnon was killed when a gunshot was fired at a building in Teangue, Isle of Skye.
Earlier, a 32-year-old lady was hurt in an accident around eight miles (13 km) distant in Tarskavaig.
Later, a gun was also discharged in Dornie on the west Highland mainland, injuring a man and a woman, both 63.
Locally, they are known by the names John Don Mackenzie and Fay Mackenzie.
He loved to laugh, and he lighted up a room and made everyone feel special, they said, according to the Press and Journal.
John died only 30 minutes before Rowena MacDonald, who was thought to be his sister, was apparently stabbed at around 9 a.m. near Tarskavaig.
Then, more than 30 miles away by car in Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh, on the mainland, a second shooting left two persons hurt.
Suspect behind this shooting at Isle of Skye in Scotland
Local media have given them the names of mental health nurse Fay and osteopath John Don MacKenzie.
In connection with the incidents, which they claimed featured a firearm being discharged at two residences, police said a 39-year-old male has been arrested.
Following the assaults of yesterday, which resulted in the three injured being brought to a hospital, community leaders have expressed their amazement.
The announcement “struck the place to the core,” according to Ian Blackford, the SNP’s representative for Ross, Skye, and Lochaber.
We don’t have a lot of crime in these neighbourhoods, he continued.
“I think the news that has been reported on three different occasions has truly shaken the community to its very core, shocking people that this kind of thing can happen.”
The fact that these things have occurred on Skye and Lochalsh is a sad, terrible day.
“Some of these communities take a while to recover from this, so it’s absolutely vital that we make sure that the support is there for the families,” the speaker said.
He expressed gratitude to the emergency services for preventing the incident from getting worse.
Members of the community have banded together to show their outrage and support for their neighbourhoods.
‘I know how close knit and big hearted the communities in Skye and Lochalsh are, and we will come together to support each other through this devastating time.
I would like to thank the emergency services for everything they have done, and continue to do, and our thoughts and prayers are with all the families that have been affected by the events which have hit everyone in our communities so hard
Skye Councillor John Finlayson
I know how the people of Sleat, as in Lochalsh, will come together to support one another in the difficult days ahead. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected and grieving.
Councillor Calum Munro
Police statement about this series of Shootings in Skye and Dornie
The community was given assurances by Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett, local policing commander for Highlands and Islands Division, that the occurrences were controlled and that there was no longer a threat to the general populace.
Although happily very uncommon, he noted, “I understand that this will have a big effect on the local people in these rural locations.”
“I want to reassure everyone that these instances are being handled as contained situations with no additional harm to the public,” I said.
“Over the next few days, there will be a sizable police presence in the area, and we will be working with partners to support the neighbourhood.”
The catastrophe was “the saddest day that I can ever recollect in the history of Skye and Lochalsh,” according to local MSP Kate Forbes.
It feels like our own heart has been torn apart, she continued.
500,000 people visit Skye each year to explore sights like the Old Man of Storr and the Fairy Pools.
Also read
- How Did Ostap Savka Die? The legendary captain of the Carpathians cause of death explained
- How Did Pat Liney Die? Dundee’s legendary league-winning goalkeeper Cause of death explained
the events of Wednesday were unheard of in living memory and the shockwaves would be felt across local communities for weeks and months
Hamish Fraser, of Broadford and Strath Community Council on Skye
multiple ambulances, air ambulances, a special operations response team and an emergency medical retrieval service team attended the scenes.
The Scottish Ambulance Service
Follow us on Twitter
