Beighton police: Armed officers in Sheffield village were searching for evidence linked to Coley Byrne's murder

Macauley ‘Coley’ Byrne, 26, was stabbed to death on Boxing Day evening in an altercation in the car park of the Gypsy Queen pub. Over six weeks on, no one has yet been charged with his murder.

Now, police have confirmed a large armed response involving at least half a dozen squad cars on Tye Road in Beighton on February 10 was in connection to the killings.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “Detectives investigating the murder of Macaulay Byrne have carried out a number of warrants as their investigation progresses at pace.

"Over the last 48 hours, a number of search warrants and arrest attempts have been carried out across Sheffield as officers work to identify and apprehend those involved in the 26-year-old’s death.

“At around 8am yesterday, officers carried out a pre-planned warrant at an address in High Street, Beighton. After conducting a search of the premises, officers recovered two firearms, a quantity of ammunition and a suspected IED. The Army’s EOD team attended the scene and the device was safely removed from the property.

“Officers then conducted a second warrant at an address in Grange Road. Here, a 52-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, both from Sheffield, were arrested on suspicion of unrelated drugs and firearms offences. They remain in police custody.”

It comes after Coley’s funeral only took place this week at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium in Woodseats on Wednesday. Hundreds of people came out to lay the 26-year-old to rest, including a huge procession of cars driven by his friends.

DCI Mick Hakin, leading the investigation for South Yorkshire Police, said: “The past couple of days has seen the investigation into Macaulay’s death really intensify as all the evidence our officers have been busy collating was put into the execution of warrants and arrest attempts.

“We are keen to still gather as much information into what happened as we can. My team and I still want to hear from anybody who might be able to help us build a complete picture of what happened at that pub that night. It may help bring justice for Macaulay’s family.”

Anyone with information about Coley’s death – “no matter how insignificant”, police say – can call 101 quoting incident number 845 of December 26, 2021, or give information anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers via their website – www.crimestoppers-uk.org – or by calling their UK contact centre on 0800 555 111.

It comes after a man was arrested and charged with assisting an offender in connection to the killings in late December.

Layton Morris, 24, of Sidney Street, Swinton, Rotherham, has pleaded not guilty to allegedly facilitating the getaway of Coley’s killer and helping them with a change of clothing after the attack. He is due to stand trial in June.

Coley’s mother, Michelle, has previously issued a plea for anyone with information about her son’s death to come forward.