THE Police Ombudsman is to investigate the circumstances of the death of a 27-year-old man in a Co Down village on Saturday.
Police officers said they found the man lying in the car park of an apartment complex in Cloughey's Main Road at about 11.15am.
He died at the scene. As officers were present at the man's death, the Police Ombudsman's Office has been informed.
Police said they were responding to a report of a "concern for safety" from a member of the public.
A spokesman for the Police Ombudsman's Office said: "As police officers were present, the PSNI notified us about the death and we have commenced an independent investigation.
"Our investigators have been at the scene and have begun gathering evidence to piece together the course of events which resulted in this tragic and untimely death."
The ombudsman has appealed for witnesses to contact its freephone line on 0800 032 7880.
Strangford Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong is a former member of Cloughey and District Community Association, and she urged anyone with information on the incident to contact the Police Ombudsman's Office.
"Locals were astonished to hear that a young man died," she said.
"Cloughey is a small, quiet community. This death is such a sad loss of life in someone so young. My sincere sympathies to this young man's family."
Ards and North Down SDLP councillor Joe Boyle said that the thoughts and prayers of people in the area were with the family of the man who died.
"The incident has sent a shockwave though the village," Mr Boyle said.
"There is a grieving family that we must keep in our thoughts, and the wider community here will step up to that challenge and we will be stronger together."
