A gunman opened fire at an Edinburgh pub as underworld figures gathered for the wake of a gang war suspect. Bullets were fired at The Robin’s Nest pub as mourners gathered following the funeral of Paul MacAulay, 40, who died in a bike crash.
One person was injured and treated at the scene on Gilmerton Road on Friday night. Sources described the incident as a “serious escalation” in violence after shots rang out at the tribute to gang boss Mark Richardson’s “right hand man”.
Wake targeted in escalating gang violence
A source told the Record: “A lot of Mark Richardson's crew were drinking in the pub after Paul MacAulay was buried yesterday. They have rarely been seen in public together over the last year since the gang war started. MacAulay was basically Richardson's right hand man so they had to show face and be there. The Tamo Junto hoods are constantly monitoring them and just waiting for an opportunity to strike. This is a serious escalation and it is a miracle nobody was killed.”
“TMJ warned earlier this year that they were going after all of Richardson's top men so they will all be seriously shaken up by this.”
Background of the Tamo Junto group
The Tamo Junto group were formed in 2025 by crime boss and former Rangers Union Bear leader Ross McGill to carry out reprisal attacks on people he thought responsible for ripping him off in a £500,000 cocaine deal allegedly paid for with fake money. His targets have been members and associates of the Glasgow based Daniel family including Edinburgh cocaine baron Mark Richardson.
The group are said to have been responsible for a wave of firebombings and assaults in the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas that in one case endangered the lives of a 12 year old child and a 72 year old woman who both ended up in hospital.
It's understood MacAulay was one of the 82 people arrested as part of Operation Portaledge – Police Scotland’s crackdown on the gang war that’s been raging since March last year. He died last month in a motorcycle crash.
Police appeal for information
Police have appealed for information after the shot was fired at the window at around 9.15pm on Friday and the area around the pub has been locked down by police. Forensics in white suits could be seen working at the scene on Friday night. Several police vehicles remained at the scene on Saturday morning, with a large cordon around the bar taped off. People living in the local area took to social media to describe how they thought “fireworks” had been going off during the incident.
No one has been traced in connection with the shooting and police are investigating the circumstances after searching the area. Police Scotland said they want to speak to anyone with information or footage of the incident - which they believe to be “targeted”.
Detective Inspector Dougal Begg said: “I understand that this will be concerning for the community, but I would like to reassure them that extensive enquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident. At this stage we are treating the incident as targeted but any actions like this are extremely reckless and put the safety of the public at risk.
“I am appealing to anyone who has any information, or saw something suspicious in the area, to come forward and speak with officers. We would also be keen to speak with anyone who has dash cam or private CCTV footage from the area which captures anything of note. A police presence will be in the area as our enquiries progress and anyone with concerns or information is encouraged to approach our officers.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3277 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
