Motorcycle key to shooting

Police in Hastings say a father-of-three who was gunned down was the victim of a carefully-planned attack.

They are treating the death of Jimmy Millen, 27, as murder.

He was working on his red Ford Fiesta in Tile Barn Road in Hastings, East Sussex, at about 1430 BST on Wednesday when two men rode up on a black motorcycle.

The pillion passenger shot him a number of times and he was rushed to hospital, but later died.

Mr Millen was a well known local character, and we had had dealings with him, but we cannot say any more

Detective Inspector Levitt

Both men on the bike were dressed in black leathers with black crash helmets and blacked-out visors.

Detective Inspector John Levitt said: "There was a degree of planning in the way the people were dressed and the fact that Mr Millen was in the street at that time - and that is of concern to us.

"Mr Millen was a well-known local character and we had had dealings with him but we cannot say any more than that at this stage."

Paramedics found Mr Millen on Carpenter Drive where he had managed to crawl despite bleeding profusely.

Appeal for witnesses

It is not clear how many times Mr Millen was shot, but witnesses have said they heard many shots.

A Home Office pathologist was carrying out a post mortem on Thursday.

Detective Inspector Levitt said there were several people in the area at the time of the shooting.

He said: "The motorcycle is key to the inquiry. We need to hear from anyone who saw the bike after the shooting or before.

"We have no description of the men on the bike."

Onlookers said the bike drove at a normal speed up Carpenter Drive towards the town's Castleham industrial estate and has not been seen since.