Detectives increasingly believe the murder on Tuesday night of a young father on his way home from a card game was a case of mistaken identity.

Jordan Outerbridge, 37, was fatally shot near the junction of Ord Road and Tribe Road No. 2 shortly after 10.30pm as he set out from an area residence.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Ianthia Simmons-Wade, the MP for Warwick North East, where the attack took place.

Police said they were investigating whether Mr Outerbridge was the intended target of the shooting and a source said there was ’an emerging hypothesis’ that it was a case of mistaken identity.

Ms Simmons-Wade, who called on the neighbourhood in the wake of the attack, said: “From what I’m understanding, he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

She said Mr Outerbridge had recently married and had a very young child.

“I expressed, as the MP, for the area my heartfelt condolences to his family, and the shock I have that violence has struck even in the midst of a pandemic.”

Ms Simmons-Wade said most people had been at home ahead of the 11pm curfew when residents heard a series of shots fired.

“When it’s close to home, it’s unnerving and unsettling,” she said. “You think of your home as a place of security and safety.”

She said Renée Ming, the national security minister, was “on top of things” with Pastor Leroy Bean, the gang violence reduction co-ordinator.

But she added: “For all intents, this incident is not a Pastor Bean issue.”

Devastated staff at Link Bermuda, the telecommunications firm where Mr Outerbridge worked, declined to comment yesterday.

Ms Simmons-Wade, the widow of Progressive Labour Party leader Freddie Wade who died in 1996, said she mourned for Mr Outerbridge’s young wife.

She added: “People don’t understand what that loss is like.

“People in the neighbourhood were saying they don’t know the why, the whatever; they just know it’s in their neighbourhood. Some were asleep and didn’t hear anything until they found out the next day.”

Detective Superintendent Nicolas Pedro said yesterday: “The investigation continues to prove challenging as we work to identify a possible motive for his death, and we are also examining the possibility that this may have been a case of mistaken identity.

“This continues to be an incredibly difficult time for Mr Outerbridge’s family and friends and we are continuing to support them through this tragic event.”

Mr Pedro added that investigators have now determined that a traffic collision near the entrance to Belmont Hills on Tuesday night was unrelated to the shooting.

Police suggested on Wednesday that one of the people involved in the crash, a 44-year-old man, appeared to have “suffered gunshot wounds to his torso”.

He said: “We note that there has been a lot of social media chatter suggesting that these two events were connected. We have been able to negate this.

“We urge anyone with information to come forward and help us bring these vicious killers to justice.”

Mr Pedro said “a full complement” of detectives were conducting interviews and reviewing forensic and digital evidence linked to the shooting.

He added: “We are grateful to those who have had the courage to come forward so far, and still wish to speak to anyone who feels they can assist.

“Mr Outerbridge’s family needs you to help catch his killers, and we are working feverishly to do so.”

Anyone with information is urged to call detectives on 295-0011, 717-0864, or the confidential and independent CrimeStoppers hotline on 800-TIPS.