Armed police storm Welsh farm and find man shot dead inside burning barn

Armed police storm Welsh farm and find ‘wealthy property developer’ shot dead inside burning wreckage of luxury £100,000 barn conversion

  • Dozens of armed officers stormed the isolated beauty spot in Wales yesterday
  • Neighbours heard a shot fired and saw smoke coming from the country home
  • Police are not treating it as suspicious and are not looking for anyone else 

A man was found shot dead in the burning wreckage of a luxury barn conversion in south Wales.

Dozens of armed officers stormed the isolated beauty spot after neighbours heard a shot fired – and then saw smoke coming from the country home.

By the time police and paramedics arrived the home in the former mining village of Ynysybwl, near Pontypridd, they found the man dead.

Officers are investigating the shooting tragedy but say they are not treating the tragic death as suspicious and are not looking for anybody else.  

A man was found shot dead in the burning wreckage of a luxury barn conversion in south Wales

Officers are investigating the shooting tragedy but say they are not treating the tragic death as suspicious

Officers are investigating the shooting tragedy but say they are not treating the tragic death as suspicious

The tragedy took place in the former mining village of Ynysybwl, near Pontypridd, south Wales

The tragedy took place in the former mining village of Ynysybwl, near Pontypridd, south Wales

Neighbours told of their shock after hearing of the man’s death in the quiet village.

Glynis Harries, 73, said: ‘It is so shocking. It’s usually very quiet here but there were all these police around.

‘I heard there had been a shooting up the road and I couldn’t believe it. There were all sorts of rumours going around.

‘I didn’t hear a shot or anything.’

Rebecca Davies, 21, said: ‘I know there were armed officers up there. 18 of them and the fire service.’

‘The fire was huge. The bedroom was completely gone.’

The barn was bought for £100,000 in 2017 before being converted into a luxury home.

Planning permission was granted in 2019 for a garage to be converted into an annexe.

A spokesman for South Wales Police said: ‘South Wales Police can confirm that the death of a 53 year old local man following an incident where a firearm had been discharged at the address in Mill Road, Ynysybwl, on Tuesday morning (27 April, 2021), is not being treated as suspicious.

‘An investigation is continuing into the circumstances surrounding the death on behalf of the Coroner.

‘Specially trained officers are continuing to support the man’s family.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Ambulance said they were called on Tuesday morning: ‘To support colleagues in the police at an address in the Ynysybwl area of Pontypridd where there were reports of a person with traumatic injuries.

‘We attended scene with two rapid response vehicles, one emergency ambulance, our Hazardous Area Response Team and an urgent care doctor.’