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FATAL KNIFE SPREE
Kilmarnock stabbing – Two women and man dead after ‘nurse and another person’ knifed at hospital followed by car crash
TWO women and a man have died after a "nurse and another person" were knifed at a hospital before a car crash.
Cops and emergency services raced to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock after a member of staff was stabbed before two other "serious incidents" that are linked happened nearby.
Read our Kilmarnock stabbing live blog for the latest news & updates
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Two women and a man died after the incidents, Police Scotland confirmed today.
A 39-year-old woman was found injured in the car park outside Crosshouse Hospital at 7.45pm on Thursday.
She received medical care but died at the scene.
The second incident occurred 20 minutes later in the town's Portland Street, where a 24-year-old woman was stabbed.
Emergency services attended and she was taken to Crosshouse Hospital where she later died.
A further incident, a fatal road crash, occurred on the C50.
Emergency services attended but the 40-year-old man driving the car was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the three incidents were linked and an investigation is ongoing.
Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain said: "A number of locations remain cordoned off as officers continue to conduct inquiries.
"We are working to confirm the full circumstances of what has happened. If anyone has any information which could assist our enquiries, please do contact us.
"Understandably, people will be shocked by what has happened. We are still in the process of establishing the full circumstances, however, I would like to reassure people that there is no wider threat to the community.
"Officers will be on patrol and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers."
Local journalist Alex Tiffin said he had been told by a police source that the events in Kilmarnock were linked to a "domestic incident on a horrific scale you thankfully rarely hear of."
Crosshouse Hospital was under lockdown for about three hours while ambulances were diverted from the area.
The local council said the scene will remain cordoned off today.
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Cops were seen running on foot through the town centre as they responded to the serious incidents last night.
An onlooker described a "very tense atmosphere" as cops locked down an area around the viaduct.
At Portland Street, officers were seen comforting a distraught woman at the scene and later took her away in a police car.
Locals also claimed a man was injured at the scene of this incident.
Detectives erected a cordon, inside which a white Mitsubishi vehicle could be seen under an arch with its hazard lights flashing.
A local, who asked not to be named, said: “This is horrific, it’s carnage.
“The police are everywhere and the whole area is lockdown. It’s obviously very serious.”
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Nicola Sturgeon tweeted last night: "My thoughts are with those involved in these very serious incidents in Crosshouse/Kilmarnock.
"Please help do their job by following the advice to stay away from the areas affected."
One eyewitness told the Daily Record earlier in the evening: "I was picking someone up when a member of medical staff was stabbed. The whole place is on lockdown.
"Armed police are there and they’re sending everyone away from the area."
Another eyewitness told "There are between 10 and 15 police vans sitting on the edge of the Moorfield Estate which is about half-a-mile away from the hospital.
"It looks like an officer is standing guard outside the A&E department at the hospital."
A spokesperson for Ayrshire Police said: "Police Scotland is currently dealing with 3 potentially linked incidents in the Kilmarnock area.
"The first occurred around 7.45pm outside Crosshouse Hospital, the second around 20 minutes later on Portland Street, and the third, a serious road crash, on the A76, around 8.30pm.
"Enquiries into these incidents are at an early stage and these areas have been cordoned off at this time. There is no cause for concern for the wider community."
In a statement today, East Ayrshire Council said: "Following on from the tragic incidents in and around Kilmarnock last night, our thoughts are with all the families and individuals affected by these events.
"We know our communities will be shocked and saddened by these events, but we wish to reassure them that there is no risk to the general public at this time and we are supporting our colleagues in NHS Ayrshire & Arran and Police Scotland wherever we can.
"As this is an ongoing police matter, we need to keep a number of roads in Kilmarnock town centre closed and diversions are in place here, and on the A76, to allow the investigation to continue, and we thank you for your patience and understanding."
A spokesperson for the hospital has said: "NHS Ayrshire and Arran is aware of an incident in the grounds of University Hospital Crosshouse.
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"As a result, the hospital has been placed under lockdown and ambulances diverted to University Hospital Ayr.
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"We are assisting Police Scotland with their investigations, and to ensure the safety of staff, patients and visitors.
"As this is a Police Scotland incident, we are unable to comment any further at this time."
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