A man killed in an apparent shooting accident in Perthshire was an Italian national, it has been claimed.
Police are investigating following the incident on the Rossie Estate, near Inchture, on Monday morning.
While officers have refused to release any details about the man, locals say he was part of a party of Italians shooting pigeons. It is understood that one of the guns discharged accidentally.
One man, who lives nearby and did not want to be named, said: “I heard from a farmer friend that it was a group of Italians who were out shooting pigeons and a gun’s gone off accidentally.
”You don’t think things like that could happen up here, it’s quite dramatic for the area, but it looks like it was just an accident.”
Another resident added: “This is a rural area – a very quiet location although very accessible as the A90 dual carriageway runs just a mile or so away.
“It isn’t unusual to hear the sound of shotguns – be it farmers working on the fields or shooting parties out hunting.
“On Monday there were suddenly police everywhere, which is incredibly unusual up here.
“I saw forensics teams out investigating but they seem to have gone by Tuesday afternoon.”
A solitary police van was seen near the scene last night. The entrance to the estate had been sealed off on Monday but has since been reopened.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “We can confirm a man has died following an incident near Kinnaird, Carse of Gowrie, on Monday March 25.
“There was no threat to the public and the incident was contained to the immediate area.
“Inquiries are at an early stage and are continuing, and the man’s next of kin have been informed.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We received a call at 11.30am to attend an incident at Rossie estate.
“We despatched a rapid response unit, a trauma team and a manager.”
