Three charged with burglary where man was fatally shot

Three men have been charged in connection with burglaries at a property where a 19-year-old was shot dead in Derbyshire.

Marcus Smith was pronounced dead at the scene in Eccles Road, Whaley Bridge, in the early hours of 1 May 2024, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the homeowner, in his 50s, discharged a legally held firearm when confronted with burglars in his home.

Derbyshire Police said on Tuesday Jack Cooper, 22, and Reece Nadin, 20, had been charged with burglary in connection with a burglary in Eccles Road on 1 May 2024. Frederick Andric, 32, was charged with a burglary at the same property between 29 April and 30 April 2024.

Cooper, of Sparrowpit, has also been charged with a burglary at the same property between 29 April and 30 April 2024.

Nadin, of Horderns Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith, and Andric, of Buxton Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith, are set to appear alongside Cooper at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on 17 August.

The force said the three men had been released on bail.

A farmer arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder over the death of Smith, who was shot during a burglary in Derbyshire, was released with no further action, the CPS confirmed on 14 July.

A second 19-year-old, who also suffered gunshot wounds on the same night, was found nearby and treated in hospital.

Janine McKinney, chief crown prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: "After careful analysis of all the evidence gathered during the police investigation, our prosecutors have decided that there will be no criminal charges in relation to the death of Marcus Smith or the serious injury of another male.

"This decision has been made in accordance with our statutory legal tests as prosecutors and the law surrounding the householder's rights to defend themself.

"Our thoughts are with Mr Smith's family and loved ones."

Smith, a resident of nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith, played football for a local team and was a DJ at a pub in the area.

Speaking a year after the shooting, police described the investigation as "complex" and that building its case "does take time".

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