First Minister Humza Yousaf admitted Police Scotland have questions to answer over its handling of a shooting in Aberfeldy which led to the death of Brian Low.
Mr Low was shot as he walked in the Pitilie area near his home on Saturday, February 17.
Officers initially labelled the 65-year-old’s death as non-suspicious before a post-mortem six days later revealed he had actually been shot.
The case was raised at Holyrood on Thursday as the first minister answered questions from MSPs.
John Swinney – who represents Perthshire North – told Mr Yousaf the incident had caused “deep unease” in the community.
He called for “full transparency” from Police Scotland over their handling of the incident.
“It is vital that all resources are applied to bring to justice anyone involved, and Police Scotland need to maintain the necessary presence locally to assure the community I represent of its safety at this incredibly worrying time,” Mr Swinney said.
Responding, Mr Yousaf said residents of Aberfeldy were “rightly” rocked by the incident.
He added: “Let me try to give as much reassurance as I can to the community of Aberfeldy about their safety, I know that Police Scotland are taking this case extremely seriously.
“There are questions I know have been asked in terms of the time taken between Mr Low’s death and the post-mortem and the opening of the murder investigation.
“I have absolutely assured that Police Scotland are working around the clock on this murder investigation.”
Mr Yousaf repeated calls from investigators for anyone with information, or those who were in the area and have dashcam footage, to contact investigators.
Speaking at a press conference which took place as the first minister was questioned in parliament, senior officers investigating the murder admitted evidence from the crime scene may have been lost.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin MacDougall said suspicions were only raised after the post-mortem last Wednesday – days after Mr Low’s death had been labelled non-suspicious.
Chief Inspector Greg Burns, local area commander, explained the officers who first attended the scene assumed the death had been medical.
He said: “The initial assessment at the time was that it was a non-suspicious death and it was dealt with as such.
“Obviously the medical examination following that determined that… the situation changed.”
He added: “Previously, from the initial assessment at the locus, the officers deemed it was medical or non-suspicious.
“This would give you an idea of how the body presented at this time.”
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