A man who police were searching for in connection with a shooting incident that took place early yesterday morning was apparently the victim of a revenge killing as his lifeless body was found in a field not more than eight hours after the original incident.

The 29-year-old, from Zurrieq, who was found dead in the Blue Grotto area, was understood to have been the victim of a shotgun wound. In a statement, the police also said that the weapon used to kill him was found in the vicinity.

Police are building on the theory that the killing came about as a result of a car chase and earlier shooting incident which took place at about 4.30am. The police believe that the dead man had fired shots at an Isuzu Gemini which was being driven by Clayton Sciberras, 18 also from Zurrieq.

Sciberras suffered seriously injuries to the shoulder as a result, but his injuries were not life threatening. He was hospitalized after the shooting.

The cousin of the man found dead was also in Sciberras’ vehicle at the time of the car chase. The reason behind the chase is unclear, but seemed to stem from a collision between the Isuzu Gemini and the dead man’s BMW.

The police had been searching all day for the man they believed had fired the shots earlier. However, the investigation took a sharp twist at about 1.30pm when they received reports of the dead body. The investigation, led by the Criminal Investigation Department, continues. Duty magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera appointed a number of experts to assist her with an onsite inquiry.