Horror as gunman shoots dead two women in swimming pool car park before turning the gun on himself

Two women were shot dead outside a swimming pool by a gunman who turned the weapon on himself in a suspected murder suicide today.

Emergency services were called to The Castle Leisure Centre at around 9am after swimmers and staff heard gunshots and three bodies were found in the car park.


Police, paramedics and the county's air ambulance are at the scene today and a large portion of the town centre has been cordoned off.

Lincolnshire Police said today that their officers had not fired any shots – and the incident is likely to be linked to a domestic dispute, according to social media sources.

Detectives say that they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shooting.


Schools were told to keep their students inside and local businesses locked their doors until police were sure the shooter was dead.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: 'We can confirm that there has been a firearms incident on Pinchbeck Road in Spalding in the vicinity of the Castle Swimming Pool, in which three people have been fatally wounded, including the suspected offender. There is an ongoing police investigation and at this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

'There is no indication that this is a terrorist related incident and no shots have been fired by police. We would urge members of the public to stay away from the area at the present time.

'There is an ongoing police investigation and at this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.'

The Castle Sports Complex & Pool houses a gymnasium, swimming pool, an eight-court badminton sports hall, crèche, meeting rooms, fitness classes, indoor bowls and bar.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has taken to Twitter following the triple shooting to pay his respects to the victims and their families.


Writing on social media this morning, Mr Corbyn said: 'Shocking events in Spalding, Lincolnshire. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.'

Meanwhile, locals described the incident as 'devastating' with one woman claiming it had sent a 'cold shiver' down her spine.

Laura Spring, who works at the Woodlands Hotel, just metres from the Castle Sports Centre, said: 'We thought it must be something serious.

'It is absolutely devastating - you see these things on the TV but you don't expect them on your own doorstep.

'I have a cold shiver running down my spine.'

number of schools are reportedly on lockdown, including Spalding Grammar School.

A spokesperson said: 'The school is on lockdown and nobody is allowed out.'

A nearby hairdresser said they had locked the salon's doors.

Chloe McConnell who works at Shear Shak, said: 'We have locked our doors. I'm scared, I actually want to cry - we do not know what has happened.

'It happened near to us but we have not seen anything apart from emergency vehicles going past. Everything appears completely normal outside.'

Amanda Pearson, who works at Welland Workspace Limited, said: 'Everybody is naturally concerned and do not know what to do.'


A resident of nearby Pinchbeck Road, who did not want to be named, said she was 'terrified' when she heard the news.

'All we know is as much as was on Twitter. We've not had the police round here to say keep your doors shut,' she added.

'We've not had anyone say there's a danger here.

'We are hoping that, although you never want this sort of thing to happen, but we're hoping it was a self-contained incident because we haven't had any people round here saying there's any danger.'

Eyewitnesses reported hearing 'dozens' of police cars and an air ambulance heading to the scene.

One woman, who did not wish to be named, said: 'We heard all the police cars earlier this morning - they were absolutely everywhere, tearing around.

'We didn't hear any shots, nothing at all, only the dozens, literally dozens, of police cars. It must have been about half past nine or quarter to 10 when it started and there was car after car.'

Another local, who asked not to be named, said an air ambulance was still outside the swimming pool more than an hour after the incident.

East Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were told to approach the scene with caution and fought to save the three people who died.

A spokesman said: 'We received a call at 9.04am reporting gunshots on Pinchbeck Lane, Spalding. Our ambulance crews and paramedic officer were sent to the emergency and told to approach with caution.

'Upon arriving at scene, our paramedics treated three patients who had gunshot wounds. Despite the best efforts of everyone at the scene the patients were pronounced dead.

'This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the friends and families of those involved.'

The air ambulance was also called to the scene.

District councillor Gary Taylor, who represents Spalding Castle ward, said: 'It's terrible news and local people are very shocked. It's a very quiet place, gun crime does not exist in this area at all. It's shocking news.'

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