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Police investigating the suspected murders of two men in Glasgow have said a man they would have sought to arrest in connection with the deaths has himself been found dead.
The bodies of Paul Lafferty, 50, and Gary Beaton, 54, were discovered inside a flat on Chancellor Street in the Partick area of Glasgow at about 16:40 on Sunday 16 August. Police believe both men were stabbed, and a murder investigation remains ongoing.
Police Scotland said a 38-year-old man was found seriously injured beneath the George V Bridge in the Broomielaw area of the city the following afternoon. Emergency services were called to the scene, but he was pronounced dead.
Officers said the death of the 38-year-old man is not being treated as suspicious. Following what Police Scotland described as extensive inquiries, detectives established that, had he been alive, they would have sought to arrest him in connection with the deaths of Mr Lafferty and Mr Beaton.
The discovery of the two men at the property in Chancellor Street prompted a major police investigation in Glasgow's west end.
Paul Lafferty and Gary Beaton were both found dead after police attended the flat at about 16:40 on Sunday 16 August. Investigators believe the men had suffered stab injuries.
Detectives have continued gathering evidence to establish the full circumstances surrounding their deaths, including events leading up to the discovery of their bodies.
The investigation has remained active as officers work to build a complete account of what happened inside the Partick property and determine whether any further action is required.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the deaths of the two men remain the subject of a live murder investigation.
At about 13:40 on Monday 17 August, a 38-year-old man was found seriously injured in the Broomielaw area of central Glasgow, beneath the George V Bridge.
Emergency services were called, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police Scotland said his death was not being treated as suspicious.
The force later confirmed that its investigation had established a potential connection between the deceased man and the killings of Mr Lafferty and Mr Beaton.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Following extensive inquiries, officers have since established if this man was alive today, police would have sought to arrest him in connection with the murders of Paul Lafferty and Gary Beaton in Glasgow.”
The statement does not bring the wider investigation to an end. Detectives are continuing their inquiries into the deaths of the two men, with further evidence and information still being examined.
Police Scotland has stressed that the murder investigation remains ongoing despite the death of the man officers would have sought to arrest.
The force is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Paul Lafferty and Gary Beaton, including the events in Partick and any evidence that may help establish a complete sequence of events.
A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal as part of the formal legal process in Scotland.
The Procurator Fiscal is responsible for Scotland's system of public prosecution and receives reports from police in cases where further legal consideration may be required.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that detectives have not indicated that the investigation has been concluded, and officers may continue pursuing outstanding lines of inquiry.
The deaths have drawn attention to two separate locations in Glasgow: the Chancellor Street flat in Partick, where the bodies of the two victims were found, and the Broomielaw area beneath the George V Bridge, where the 38-year-old man was later discovered seriously injured.
Police have now made clear that, based on their inquiries, they would have sought to arrest the 38-year-old man in connection with the murders had he survived.
However, detectives continue to investigate the deaths of Mr Lafferty and Mr Beaton and have not publicly set out the full circumstances that led to the violence.
As the inquiry continues, the case will remain subject to the investigation by Police Scotland and consideration by the Procurator Fiscal.
For the families and friends of Paul Lafferty and Gary Beaton, the continuing police inquiry represents the next stage in efforts to establish precisely what happened to the two men in the Glasgow flat.
