The Skye and Wester Ross attacks were a group of shootings and a stabbing which occurred on 10 August 2022 on the Isle of Skye and in

Lochalsh Lochalsh is a district of mainland Scotland that is currently part of the Highland (council area), Highland council area. The Lochalsh district covers all of the mainland either side of Loch Alsh - and of Loch Duich - between Loch Carron and Loch ...

(

Skye and Lochalsh Skye and Lochalsh ( gd, 'An t-Eilean Sgitheanach agus Loch Aillse') is one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region of Scotland. The main offices of the Skye and Lochalsh district council were in Portree, on the ...

). The attacks resulted in one person being killed and three injured.

Attacks

Tarskavaig

At 9:02 a.m. BST,

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

were initially called to a property in

Tarskavaig Tarskavaig (''Tarsgabhaig'' in Scottish Gaelic) is a crofting village on the west coast of Sleat on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It sits in a glen which meets Tarskavaig Bay and lies opposite the Isles of Eigg, Rùm, Rum and Canna, Scotland, Cann ...

, Skye, after a report of a 32-year-old woman sustaining critical injuries after being stabbed. She was airlifted to

Queen Elizabeth University Hospital The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) is a 1,677-bed acute hospital located in Govan, in the south-west of Glasgow, Scotland. The hospital is built on the site of the former Southern General Hospital and opened at the end of April 2015. ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Teangue

At about 9:30 a.m., officers were called to an incident in

Teangue Teangue ( gd, An Teanga) is a fishing village on the Sleat peninsula, Isle of Skye, Highlands of Scotland. It is situated in Knock Bay on the west side of the Sound of Sleat. It is in the Scottish council area of Highland Highlands or uplan ...

, Skye, away from Tarskavaig. The police said a firearm had been discharged and a man, aged 47, had died at the scene.

Dornie

At around 10 a.m., they were called to an incident in

Dornie Dornie ( gd, An Dòrnaidh) is a small former fishing village in the Lochalsh district in western Ross-shire Highlands of Scotland (2006 census). It is near the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. The A87, the main road to ...

, about away from Teangue, where a gun had also been fired. A man and woman, both aged 63, were injured and taken to

Raigmore Hospital Raigmore Hospital ( gd, Ospadal an Rathaig Mhòir) is a health facility located in Inverness, Scotland. It serves patients from the local area as well as providing specialist services to patients from across the Highland area. It is a teaching h ...

in Inverness and Broadford Hospital in Skye respectively. Police said that the incidents were linked and that a 39-year-old man had been arrested, with a

taser A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended t ...

being discharged during the arrest. He was also taken to Raigmore Hospital. Multiple

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

s, an

Emergency Medical Retrieval Service The Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) provides aeromedical critical care to people in Scotland. It provides patients in remote and rural areas with rapid access to the skills of a consultant in emergency medicine, intensive care medic ...

and a special operations response team were involved.

Aftermath

On 11 August, the man who had been arrested was charged with the murder of one man and the attempted murders of three others. It was confirmed that the 32-year-old woman and 63-year-old man were still in hospital with serious injuries, but that the 63-year-old woman had been released. On 12 August, a 39-year-old man appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court. He made no plea and was remanded in custody. He faces a murder charge, and two charges of assault to severe injury, danger of life and attempted murder, and a third charge of assault to severe injury, permanent

disfigurement Disfigurement is the state of having one's appearance deeply and persistently harmed medically, such as from a disease, birth defect, or wound. General societal attitudes towards disfigurement have varied greatly across cultures and over time, ...

and attempted murder. His wife was named as the 32-year-old woman who was the first to be attacked. She remains at

in critical condition, whilst the 63-year-old man remains at

in serious condition.

References