Two women and a dog have died, and a man and a teenage boy were seriously injured, in an apparent Christmas Day stabbing at a flat in Buckinghamshire.
A 49-year-old man who was known to the victims was later arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, Thames Valley Police said.
The suspect was detained at his home in Bletchley, taken to a police station and questioned by detectives on Boxing Day.
Eyewitnesses said “screaming” victims, covered in blood, fled from the property in Bletchley, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, as the suspect drove away.
“At around 6pm a lady has come out of the balcony – she’s screaming ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe’,” a witness told The Sun. “They’ve been stabbed in the chest and the head. Suddenly someone has come out and the other person has run into our neighbour’s house.
“The dog ran out – it was a little white dog but you couldn’t tell – it was covered in blood. Within minutes, there were about 12 ambulances.”
Another said: “We saw him [the suspect] getting in his car whilst the police were there. We were on our balcony telling the police: ‘He’s there and he just sped off.’”
The two women, aged 24 and 38, died at the scene. The dog was taken to a vets for treatment, but later died from its injuries.
The injured man, who police said was in his 20s, and the teenage boy both suffered “serious” stab wounds and were taken to Milton Keynes General Hospital, where doctors had been put on alert. Police said on Thursday that they were in a stable condition.
Neighbours said paramedics had attempted to resuscitate the victims in the street outside on Wednesday evening. One said: “They were working on him in the street, and the other [victims] were covered in a white tarp.”
Another neighbour added: “It’s mortifying. I heard all the ambulances last night, but you don’t expect anything like this to happen around here, and on Christmas Day of all days.”
A third witness said: “There were police swarming everywhere. After the emergency services were called I was told that the man who did the stabbing was on the loose and running around the estate. I heard people saying: ‘There’s a murderer on the run’.
Thames Valley Police said officers were called at 6.36pm to a block of flats on Santa Cruz Avenue in Bletchley. On Wednesday, a large cordon was in place around the flats, where members of a forensics team were at work.
Numbered yellow evidence markers and first aid kits could be seen on the road and pavement outside and on the boot of a car parked on adjoining Trinidad Grove.
Thames Valley Police said in a statement: “The next of kin of both victims have been informed and are being supported by officers. Formal identification and other coronial processes will be undertaken in due course.”
Det Chief Insp Stuart Brangwin, the senior investigating officer, said: “I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the families of the women who have tragically died in this shocking incident.
“We have launched a double murder investigation, which may be concerning to the wider public; however, we have made an arrest and are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident and the parties are known to each other.
“Members of the public will see a large police presence in the area while our investigation takes place. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to approach our officers and they will do their best to help.
“Anyone with information or footage which you think could help our investigation, please call us on 101, quoting reference number 43240622935. Alternatively, you can make a report online, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
