Updated | Gang hit in Marsaskala leaves one man dead, and another critical

Updated at 3:20pm with Police statements

The dead man - identified as Kevin Gatt, 37 of Bormla - was allegedly discovered dead inside a parked car in Guzeppi Lanzon Street in M'Scala.

Gatt was found wearing gloves and sitting on a semi-automatic hand gun, while next to him on the driver's seat, was another man - identified as Stephen Zammit, 32 from Fgura - who was critically wounded with a shot to his chest.

Both men wore gloves and a forensic reconstruction places at the heart of the shooting.

Addressing a press conference this afternoon, the Police did not reveal much about their investigations so far, except to confirm the identity of the victim and to confirm that Gatt had a police record.

Kevin Gatt had been wounded by a policeman in 2006 when he stopped him from running him over as he attempted to flee from a hold-up in Birkirkara. He was also charged in 2010 of forming part of a criminal conspiracy to traffic some eight kilogrammes of cannabis resin.

A 54-year-old man from Marsascala is currently being questioned in a bid to establish what really happened last night. The suspect is said to be the owner of a garage basement in the same street, and apparntly the target of last night's shooting.

Assistant Commissioner Pierre Calleja revealed that the Hyundai car in which Gatt and Vella were found was stolen from Zebbug two days ago. Both front and rear number plants were stolen from two different cars from Msida and Birkirkara over the past week, Calleja said.

He confirmed that two semi-automatic handguns were used in the shooting. Calleja said it has been established that the shootout had in actual fact occurred in the street and not in the basement.

Investigators are still rummaging through various parts of the basement close to where the shooting occurred to look for further evidence that could establish the motives why Kevin Gatt had actually for.

Calleja could not say whether the victim had fired a gun himself before being fatally wounded. But ballistic experts are going through trajectory analysis on the calibres used and matching them to the spent cartridges which were found on the scene of crime.

Investigators believe that Gatt and Zammit and another two accomplices planned to hit on the basement which turns out to have been under police surveillance for the past weeks in connection to movements of criminals connected to the importation and trafficking of cocaine and heroin.

Gatt allegedly shot and injured the 54 year-old who was hit in the shoulder and told police that he was a victim of a drive-by shooting. It emerged that Stephen Vella had telephoned the 54 year-old man and lured him out into the street.

A woman, said to also have a criminal record and lives in the apartment above the basement together with one of the injured men was also arrested and interrogated last night.

Investigators have returned to the crime scene this morning, while a number of witnesses have been summoned before Magistrate Neville Camilleri who is heading an inquiry.

MaltaToday is informed that although traces of cocaine were found in the basement, it is yet to be established if a large quantity of drugs had been promptly removed or was stolen during the shooting.

Assistant Commissioner Calleja denied finding money in the basement, but confirmed that intensive searches in the basement and inside the apartment were continuing.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri is conducting an inquiry.