A gang described as wearing "dark clothing" turned up at the home of dad-of-three Neil Canney where he was shot dead in Greenock.
Police said young children were present within the house on Nairn Street when the 37-year-old was gunned down.
He was found seriously injured on the doorstep at around 1.15am on Tuesday morning and rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow but died shortly after.
READ MORE: Greenock dad-of-three shot dead in gun horror survived earlier attempt on his life
No one else in the house at the time was injured.
Police Scotland confirmed a murder investigation has been launched into the incident.
Detective Superintendent Cameron Miller said: "Although we have yet to establish the motive for this attack, it does appear to have been a targeted incident.
“That said, this is a shocking incident and our thoughts are with Mr Canney’s family
"Extensive police enquiries are ongoing at this time and officers are gathering CCTV footage from the surrounding area.
"Our officers are also going door to door and there is a continued high visibility police presence in the area.
“From our investigation so far we know that a number of people, described only as wearing dark clothing, turned up at the house on Nairn Road before Mr Canney was injured.
“It is then believed that the group dispersed towards Angus Road.
“We’d be keen to hear from anyone who was in Nairn Road or the immediate vicinity between 12.50 am and 1.15 am who may have seen the suspects in the area or who may have dashcam footage from the street around that time.”
Members of the local community have been urged to come forward with any information.
DSI Miller said he "understood the community may have concerns" with providing information but stressed it will be "treated in confidence".
He said: “This is a hugely traumatic incident for the family and friends of Neil. I believe the answer lies within the local community and I would urge anyone with any information to come forward or supply this information to the police anonymously.
“I fully understand that the community may have concerns in sharing any information with the Police but I want to give assurances that any information that is provided will be treated in confidence without the fear of personal information being disclosed."
DSI Miller added: “This is an appalling crime and there is no place for this behaviour within any community. At the time of this incident there was young children present within the home address and the person responsible showed a total disregard for their safety.
“I would ask the community to take this into consideration as people living locally will know who is responsible, and no matter how insignificant they believe the information they hold may be, to share it with police
“ I would further ask that if anyone holds any video footage or images recorded on mobile phones, has information contained on social media such as SnapChat and Instagram amongst others to also share these with my team which can also be done anonymously.”
Anyone who has any information that will assist the investigation can get in touch with police by phoning 101., quoting reference number 0151 of 28 February 2023.
An incident caravan has been set up on Nairn Road so officers can be approached directly.
Information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A website that gives members of the public access to a form to send information directly to the Major Investigation Team has also been set up. Through this, you submit any photos, videos or social media posts you feel may help. You can select to remain anonymous when submitting information to this site.
The portal can be accessed at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT23S12-PO1
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