police tape
An 18-year-old man has been shot and killed in Lanbedrog, Wales, on 5 February, 2017 (file picture). Getty Images

An 18-year-old man has been shot dead outside a pub in Wales. The body was discovered on Sunday (5 February) in the car park next to the Ship Inn pub in Llanbedrog, in the north west of the country.

He was found inside a car after emergency services were called after midnight, but the teenager was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.

North Wales Police launched an investigation into the death and released an appeal for a number of males who were seen in a Land Rover Discovery near the shooting.

It was later confirmed that four people have been arrested and forensic investigations were ongoing.

The identity of the man has not been revealed but police confirmed his family have been informed.

The small village has a population of 1,000 people and remains quiet until summer months, when visitors come to the area as a holiday destination. Residents of the area spoke of their shock as gun crime was very uncommon in this part of the Wales.

Catrin Hughes, who lives a few doors away from the pub, told the BBC: "We heard the sirens just after midnight.

"We thought it was an RTC because the roads here are so narrow. We didn't hear anything more after that.

"You don't expect this kind of thing to happen. People are talking, but we don't expect this kind of thing in this part of the world.

"It's usually a quiet pub – there are five to eight people drinking in the top bar, and everybody knows everybody, especially at this time of year."

Gwynedd Council councillor for Pwllheli North, Michael Sol Owen, told Wales Online: "I'm both shocked and astonished that this sort of thing could happen.

"It's something that we would not expect – that the gun culture could transfer to a very rural area like this. It's something that you would expect with large cities.

"Our sympathies and thoughts go to the victim's family."