Police officers praised for response to double murder at tower block

0 Tracy Gabriel and Keith Taylor were both murdered by Hugh Gallacher who jumped to his death A watchdog investigation has praised the police response to an incident where a man leapt to his death from a 12th floor balcony after carrying out a double murder.

Hugh Gallacher told officers: “If they’re dead, I’m joining them,” after stabbing Keith Taylor, 44, and Tracy Gabriel, 41, at Donside Court, Aberdeen in July last year.

A report published yesterday by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) found that officers who attended had acted appropriately and with professionalism.

Four Police Scotland officers were called to the tower block after reports from residents that a woman had been heard screaming and a man had been seen with blood on his hands on the balcony.

On entering the flat, officers found Mr Taylor lying on the living room sofa with stab wounds. They then saw Gallacher, 56, standing on the balcony of the flat.

His hands appeared to be bloodstained and he shouted to the officers that he was responsible for inflicting the injuries to Mr Taylor and Ms Gabriel, the resident of the flat. She was later found on the balcony with stab wounds to her chest.

Two of the officers carried out CPR on Mr Taylor, while the other two officers attempted, over a three to four minute period, to calm Gallacher and persuade him to come back inside.

But Gallacher told officers: “If they’re dead, I’m joining them.”

He then slammed the balcony window shut and jumped to his death.

The officers found Ms Gabriel on the balcony and carried out first aid on her while other officers carried out first aid on Gallacher on the ground outside the tower block. All three died from their injuries.

Publishing her findings, Commissioner Kate Frame said: “It is clear that officers attempted to persuade Hugh Gallacher to come back into the flat from the balcony but had limited opportunity to prevent him from completing his stated intention of suicide.

“They were confronted with very difficult circumstances but dealt with them appropriately and with a high degree of professionalism.”

Chief Superintendent Campbell Thomson, of Police Scotland, said: “In common with the Pirc review, I recognise the professionalism of our officers who attended at the time and the appropriateness of their actions when faced with an extremely challenging and difficult set of circumstances.

“Our thoughts continue to be with all families involved.”