Police Probe after Three Killed in West of Scotland

Detectives in the west of Scotland have launched an investigation after two women were killed, including one outside a hospital, and a man died in a car crash soon afterwards.

A 39-year-old woman was discovered in the car park of the Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, southwest of Glasgow, at about 7:45 pm (1945 GMT) Thursday. She died at the scene despite medical treatment.

About 20 minutes later, a 24-year-old woman was found stabbed in a street in the town and died in hospital.

A 40-year-old man was found dead at about 8:30 pm after a car crash nearby, Police Scotland said.

Officers quickly ruled out a link to terrorism but the hospital was put under a lockdown for several hours.

"Enquiries carried out so far have indicated that the incidents were linked, and an investigation is under way to establish the exact circumstances of what happened," Police Scotland said in a statement.

"Officers are not looking for anyone else as part of their investigation and there is no ongoing threat to the public."

The two female victims were a health worker and her daughter, while the dead man was believed to have deliberately crashed having carried out the attacks, according to British media.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Dreadful news" while a spokesman for Boris Johnson said "the Prime Minister's thoughts are with all those involved."