Residents and business owners in Aberfeldy have spoken of their confusion at the police handling of the Brian Low murder.
A week has passed since officers revealed they had launched a murder investigation.
It came 10 days after Mr Low was found having been shot dead on a remote track in the Pitilie area outside the town.
The scene of the murder remains cordoned off as police continue to hunt for his killer.
Last week, senior officers admitted evidence may have been lost from the crime scene because the death was initially treated as non-suspicious.
Aberfeldy man, 89, ‘puzzled’ by shooting
Perthshire MSP John Swinney has written a complaint over the handling of the investigation.
Speaking in the town a week after news of the murder investigation emerged, resident Norman McCandlish, 89, told The Courier: “I’m completely puzzled by the whole thing.
“It’s not a violent town and I’m rather disappointed by what the police seem to have done – but they’re not giving information to say what they’ve actually done.
“I’m not going around believing a mad gunman is on the go and I still walk my dog and go down the side tracks.
“I met a couple of constables who engaged me in conversation. They weren’t saying anything reassuring but they were present in case anyone was worried.
“The initial lack of information is really strange but I’m sure it will all come out in due course – I think this is a one-off.”
‘There has been no advice to the public if we’re safe to walk our dogs’
A business owner in the town, who did not want to be named, says he has been relying on The Courier for updates.
He said: “I think one of the questions lots of people have is, there has been no advice to the public if we’re safe to walk our dogs, go out, or if there’s someone out there we should be worried about.
“I spoke to police officers and clearly they weren’t part of the CID and they aren’t in a position to give the public advice about the situation.
“You just remain in the dark until someone higher up shares what they know with us.
“Most people in the town don’t think there’s a killer out there, but how do we know?
“It does feel like the police don’t know anything, especially with evidence possibly being lost.
“It would be nice for the public to be given a steer if we should be locking our doors at night and it would be nice to be given more reassurances than ‘you will notice a bigger police presence’.”
Adam Seward, owner of Aberfeldy Gallery, says he does not feel worried but is also confused about the police handing of the case.
‘I found it weird for it to take so long for there to be a murder inquiry’
The 45-year-old said: “I’m not terribly worried as I suspect the murderer would’ve been known by the victim and not a threat to other people.
“It would make me think differently about walking in that part, though.
“I found it weird for it to take so long for there to be a murder inquiry, which I wouldn’t say was reassuring.
“The increased police presence has been noticed and it’s good they seem to be more on the case in terms of what happened.
“There hasn’t been an atmosphere in the town, people are obviously speaking about it but no one seems too concerned, surprisingly.
“But it’s not the sort of thing you’d expect around here, it’s very sad.”
Another resident, who wanted to stay anonymous, said he had “lost faith” in the police over the case.
He said: “The police haven’t done their job – they aren’t fit for purpose.
Resident has ‘lost faith in police’ after handling of Aberfeldy shooting
“Who didn’t see a bullet wound?
“I have respect for the police, but I have lost faith and I don’t think they’ll find out who did it.
“As far as I can see, people are disgusted, the poor man’s family, how can they be feeling?”
A shopper, who also wished to remain anonymous, also felt confused by the situation.
She said: “People are just dumbfounded and it’s suddenly gone silent too.
“I spoke to people on Thursday and they were shocked, but everything has just gone quiet now.
“We think the police handling has been bizarre – how can you not see if someone has been shot? It’s very odd.
Aberfeldy murder ‘like something out of a drama’
“I haven’t noticed a large police presence in the town but I know there’s been a lot up at the scene – it feels like something out of a drama.
“If it was a murder, I think it might’ve been for that person, I don’t think it was random.”
A dog walker in the town told The Courier: “It’s still a shock and no one would expect it – there’s never been anything like it here.
“It’s a worry as I have a dog and walk him in remote places and to think there could be people out there like that is a worry.
‘People have been going on as normal, what else can you do?’
“Nobody knew until 10 days after the event which is a worry, I don’t know what to think of the situation.
“People have been just going on as normal, I have. What else can you do?
“You just hope it gets sorted out, it’s not very nice.”
Asked last week why they had initially failed to notice there was a gunshot wound on Mr Low, Chief Inspector Greg Burns said: “I think from the initial assessment from the officers, it presented as a medical/non-suspicious death at that point in time.
“I think that probably gives you an indication of how the body presented at that time.”
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall said: “On Wednesday when there was concern surrounding the death, the scene was established at that stage.
“Yes, it’s appreciated that in the timeframe between the Saturday and the Wednesday, something could be lost.
“We’ve taken every opportunity since to try and recover every item from that area.”
Police have launched a portal for information to be submitted to aid in the investigation.
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