The sister of one of two men who were murdered in Sliema on Tuesday and her two sons were staying in the same house but luckily were still out when the shooting took place.

Chris Pandolfino and his partner Ivor Maciejowski were shot dead inside their Locker Street home on Tuesday at around 10.30pm.

The police are still hunting for three persons who were caught on CCTV entering the property and leaving after four minutes.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Pandolfino’s sister and her two sons, who live in the UK, are currently holidaying in Malta and were staying at the same house.

Sources told The Malta Independent that the trio stopped for ice cream after a family dinner and were still out when the aggressors entered the property.

Chris Pandolfino, an investment banker and art collector also attended the dinner, while Maciejowski, an art dealer stayed home.

The police said they were alerted about the sound of gunfire at around 10.30pm. Six shots were fired inside the building, and the assailants then made off in a white car. The police have appealed for information that could help them track down the vehicle and the suspects. TVM has reported, however, that the car has been identified as a Volkswagen that was reported stolen two years ago.

An autopsy on the victims will be carried out today.

No one has been arrested so far, but the police are speaking to a number of witnesses. 

The motive behind the murder remains unclear but the police said they are not excluding anything at this stage. 

Net News reports, however, that investigators do not believe this was a burglary attempt. Sources have told the newsroom that the assailants likely knew the victims well and could also have been familiar with the layout of the house.