A witness in the murder trial of Tekle Zion Mallory was shot dead yesterday morning in what appeared to be the latest in a string of gang-related retribution attacks.

Student Shaundae Winston Jones, 20, who was best friends with murder acquitted Jahni Bean, died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

He was with friends in a car after leaving Club Malabar in Dockyard at about 3 a.m. yesterday when it is believed someone approached the car as it was pulling away from the venue, opened the door and shot him.

His friends immediately drove straight to Port Royal Fire Station in Southampton, where they were met by an ambulance, but Mr. Jones, a student at Bermuda College, died on the way to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Last night, Police refused to say whether they believed the killing, the first of 2003, was linked to the death of Mr. Mallory in July 2001. In January this year, both Mr. Bean and his cousin Quincy Stanley Brangman were acquitted of stabbing Mr. Mallory to death in a brawl outside the Ice Queen take-away in Paget.

On the night that Mr. Bean was found to have no case to answer, gun shots were fired at his home in Warwick as he celebrated his release with family and friends. But during the trial, Mr. Jones was called as a witness to the incident by the Prosecution. He told the court that he had been there on the night in question with Mr. Bean, but had not seen any stabbing.

And last night, Mr. Jones' mother, Marsha, said she believed his involvement in the trial could have led to his death.

Yesterday, the boat and leisure show planned for Dockyard was cancelled as Police cordoned off the crime scene and combed the area for clues.

No blood was left at the scene, and the weapon is not believed to have been found, and Police refused to say what calibre firearm it was. Superintendent Randolph Liverpool, who is heading up the investigation, yesterday appealed for witnesses to come forward.

He said: "We don't know about any linkages with anything else at this point. I think Mr. Jones was a witness (in the murder trial), but we cannot comment on that at all. There is a lot of speculation going on - people saying a lot of different things and we, at this time, cannot connect it to this case."

Yesterday, armed officers from the Police Emergency Response Team were out in units around the Island in search of the gunman, and a total of about 40 officers had been assigned to the case. It was thought that three people were helping detectives with the inquiry last night, but Police said no suspects were in custody.

Supt. Liverpool said when Police arrived outside the nightclub about 20 minutes after the shooting, the victim had already been taken to the hospital and there were very few people left in the vicinity. But he said officers were attempting to interview as many people who had been at Dockyard as possible.

He said: "We are questioning as many people as we can who we think will be able to furnish us with any information at all. And as soon as we have any information about having a suspect in custody, we will let you know."

Assistant Commissioner Carlton Adams said officers were already investigating a number of leads yesterday, but said they had to keep an open mind as why and how the killing happened.

He added: "I would like to offer my condolences on behalf of the Police Service to the family of the deceased, Mr. Jones, and would like to take this opportunity to assure the public that every effort will be made to find the people responsible."

Owner of Club Malabar Lord Anthony Butterfield said he was at the club yesterday morning, and most people had already left when he heard a loud bang outside at about 3 a.m..

He said he went outside to see what it was, but there was no sign of any trouble, so he closed up the club as normal and then went home about 15 minutes later.

He said: "It was just before 3 a.m., 98 percent of the patrons were outside the building leaving. We heard a bang, like `kapow', like a bike backfiring.

"It was very short-lived and as soon as we got out of the door, everybody was gone. There was no screaming, or shouting or anything.

"The night had gone very well with no problems. There was no incident inside the club, and I thought there had been nothing outside the club, so I went home soon after."

Mr. Butterfield said the club had been holding it's usual Saturday night Ladies Night, and about 160 people had been there

He said he knew of Mr. Jones, and had always found him to be polite and well-natured, but had not seen him on the premises yesterday, although he said he had seen him there on Friday night.

He added: "I left here at about 3.15 a.m. and I was the last one here. We always look around to see if anyone is in the bushes, having had too much to drink, but there was nothing here.

"The first I knew was when I got a call some hours later saying Police wanted to talk to me. The whole thing is sad. This is somebody else's child gone.

"I think this person, who ever did it, had this thing scoped out. They knew what they were going to do. I heard someone had a mask on when they came up to the car, but I don't know if that's true.

"This had to be something that was going to happen. If it was going to happen, there was nothing we could have done about it."

Yesterday, Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said scores of officers had been assigned to the case, and said they were taking the investigation very seriously.

He added: "Yes, it's concerning that firearms are being used in the commissioning of these criminal incidents.

"What we really need in an investigation like this is for those who have evidence or information to come forward and assist us.

"We are the body that is tasked with the investigation and we are putting a lot of resources into it. We have a lot of investigators, but to have a successful outcome in any of these investigations, we need the community's support."

Anyone with information is urged to call Somerset Police on 234-1010, or CrimeStoppers, where they can offer information anonymously, on 1-800-623-8471.