Laurence Dollimore
A FRENCH national received more than 20 bullets when he was shot to death in his Bentley in Benahavis on Sunday, police have revealed.
The victim, of Moroccan origin, was killed by an unknown shooter using an AK-47, also known as a Kalashnikov.
After firing a round from the sub-machine gun, the killer, or killers, finished off their target with a smaller handgun, police said.
The assassination-style murder took place at around 9pm in the Capanes del Golf urbanisation, an upmarket neighbourhood where homes sell for upwards of €500,000.
The victim, 37, who was renting a property with his partner, was killed as he arrived home in his luxury car.
Police believe the killing to be a so-called ‘settling of accounts’ between criminal gangs.
The victim had bullet wounds in his neck and hands, suggesting he had tried to defend himself in vain from the onslaught of bullets.
Investigators say the evidence suggests one of the killers exited their vehicle and fired several more shots at close range with a smaller handgun.
The sound of gunfire rang through the area, leading to several calls to emergency services.
Guardia Civil rushed to the scene but could not open the car due to its door locking system.
The body was eventually recovered and was taken for an autopsy to expert forensics in Malaga.
However that has been delayed as the team awaits the results of a coronavirus test, given that the disease could live on in the corpse’s tissue or on the bullets.
If the result is negative, the autopsy will resume today, sources said.
The victim is believed to have been involved in drug trafficking but his connections and identity are still being confirmed by investigators.
The vehicle of the killers was found burnt out and dumped by a stream in Estepona, with the AK-47 inside it.
