Upholsterer was target of Friday’s shooting

A man currently in police custody is believed to have been commissioned to carry out the crime • Angelo Mangion believed to have been killed by accident

Police now believe upholsterer Raymond Grima to have been the intended target of last Friday's shooting
Police now believe upholsterer Raymond Grima to have been the intended target of last Friday's shooting

Upholsterer Raymond Grima was the intended target of Friday’s shooting incident in which another man was killed, the police said in a statement this afternoon.

Grima, 61, from Iklin was working in his workshop in Attard when he was seriously injured after being shot at by a man wearing a motorcycle helmet. He is currently recovering in hospital under police surveillance. A second man, Angelo Mangion, known as Lino, was killed on the spot.

After conflicting media reports emerged over the weekend about who the intended target was, investigators said they now believe Mangion - a fireworks and festa enthusiast from Qormi – to have only been an unintended victim in the crime. The police added that they were continuing to analyse infromation sent by members of the public.

Sources close to the investigation have said that a man currently under police custody, and who was hospitalised during interrogation, is believed to have been commissioned to carry out the crime.

They added that the police were working on the theory that somebody may have wanted to settle his dues with Grima and contracted the killer.

The police were initially confounded by the crime since the victims did not have any previous brushes with the law.