Two gunmen launched six shots at the victim, thought to be in his 30s, before fleeing the scene on foot and jumping into a getaway car in Torrevieja, near Alicante on Spain’s Costa Blanca
A man has been shot dead in front of horrified Costa Blanca tourists in a popular British holiday resort.
The victim, believed to be aged around 30, was gunned down yesterday evening in the centre of Torrevieja, an hour’s drive south of Alicante.
Two shooters fired at him six times from close range before fleeing on foot and jumping into a getaway car waiting nearby, which was driven by a third man. Witnesses to the 7pm attack included a mother with a baby in a pushchair. It comes after news a nursery teacher drowned her partner’s four-year-old daughter in sickening attack.
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The victim was shot as he walked by a town centre restaurant which closes on Sundays. Pictures from the scene showed police and paramedics trying to resuscitate him as he lay on the ground by the restaurant terrace.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed around 8.15pm yesterday. The streets where the shooting occurred, close to a well-known hotel, were cordoned off until late yesterday so officers could collect evidence.
Six bullet casings are said to have been located and removed. Three suspects are understood to have been arrested around 40 minutes after the shooting.
Unconfirmed Turkish language reports are naming the victim as a senior member of the Daltons Gang, a violent criminal organisation which started out in Istanbul and has been in the news in recent years for the assassinations it has carried out abroad.
Local Spanish press also suggest the victim and gunmen were of probable Turkish origin, although one report said the getaway car had French number plates.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Alicante said today: “We can confirm that at 7pm yesterday, Sunday 3 August, a shooting took place in the town of Torrevieja.
“A few minutes later, several Civil Guard and Local Police patrols arrived at the scene, located on Calle Pedro Lorca and Rambla de Juan Mateo García in Torrevieja.
“Despite attempts to stabilise a man found lying on the ground by the officers, he died at 7:40 pm that same day.
“The perpetrators fled the scene, but three men were located and arrested at 7.20 pm while the victim was still alive.
“The weapon presumed to have been used in the shooting has been seized. The identities of those involved have yet to be confirmed.
“The investigation is being carried out by the Judicial Police Team of the Civil Guard of Torrevieja, with the support of the Criminalistics Laboratory of the Alicante Command. The units are currently gathering evidence to clarify the facts and possible causes.
“The rest of the details are currently part of the investigation, so it is impossible for us to provide you with further information.”