The death of a man in a Canvey Island car park may have been the result of a targeted attack”, murder squad detectives have said.
Essex Police said the man, in his 40s, was found injured in the car park next to Iceland in Furtherwick Road in the early hours of Saturday.
Officers were called just before 1.45am and it is believed he had been assaulted near to The Haystack pub a short time earlier.
Emergency services responded, but he died at the scene.
Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood, who is leading the investigation, said: “We believe those involved had been inside The Haystack pub earlier in the evening.
“I believe that someone who was in the pub, or lives locally, will know the identity of those responsible and I urge anyone to contact us or Crimestoppers with the information they have.
“At this stage I believe the assault was a targeted attack and this incident does not pose a threat to the wider public.”
He described the murder investigation as “progressing well”, and detectives are “building a picture of the circumstances which led up to this fatal assault”.
A police cordon was erected in an area of the island including Furtherwick Road and Long Road and people were warned to expect disruption to the centre of Canvey throughout Saturday.
Mr Wood said police would still be working at the scene on Sunday, but it is hoped the size of the cordon could be reduced later on Saturday.
He added: “However, I expect a cordon to remain in place until tomorrow as our inquiries progress.
“I know this has caused disruption to the centre of Canvey today but it has been to allow essential work to take place, and I want to thank the public for their patience and understanding.”
Police are asking anyone who has information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident to contact them and to reference it as incident 124 of February 4.
They can submit a report on the force’s website or use a weekday online live chat service.
They could go online – at www.essex.police.uk/digital101 to find out more about our website reporting services – or call police on 101.
