The targeted execution of a dad-of-five took place just 1.5 miles from the scene of a fatal crash where his son left two victims to die.
Colin Smith, 40, was shot dead as he left Nel's gym in Speke on Tuesday, November 13, 2007.
A gunman armed with a pump action shotgun lay in wait and opened fire as soon as Mr Smith emerged from the gym.
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His murder, still unsolved, was said to be the result of an underworld fall-out with South American cocaine traffickers, who were determined to target the 40-year-old.
In 1993, Mr Smith was cleared of allegations he was involved in a £190m plot to bring Venezuelan cocaine into the UK, alongside infamous drugs baron Curtis Warren.
The case, which was heard at Newcastle Crown Court, was described at the time as country's largest ever drug conspiracy.
The men were arrested after the authorities seized 900kg of high purity cocaine in March 1992 during Operation Singer, which at the time was an unprecedented recovery for the authorities.
Mr Smith's family has previously pointed out that he was never convicted of any drugs offence and strongly denies he had links to Warren.
At his son's death by dangerous driving trial last month it was hinted at how the younger Colin Smith jnr had suffered tragedy as a child.
Smith jnr, of Lower Road, Halewood, lost his dad in the shooting, which made headlines across the world, when he was still a primary school pupil.
Mr Smith is thought to have dropped one of his sons off at football practice before heading on to Nel's on the night of his death.
Before the shooting, he had been inside Nel's gym, a walk up above a parade of shops in the heart of Speke.
Mr Smith was walking toward his parked Ford Galaxy on Alder Wood Avenue was he was shot twice with a pump action shotgun.
Locals told the ECHO that they heard "two very loud bangs" at around 8pm on the night in question.
The crime scene is less than 2 miles from the Dunlop Road crash scene where Smith jnr left two victims to die nearly 12 years later.
The fatal shooting sparked fears the city was about to see repeat of the violence which followed the death of David Ungi on May 1, 1995.
However that did not happen and the ECHO is not aware of any subsequent police incidents linked to Mr Smith's death.
Speaking in 2013, Detective Superintendent Karen Cummings described Mr Smith's death as a "callous and cold-blooded crime."
She said: “This was a particularly callous and cold-blooded crime, which deprived his children – aged between six and 16-years at the time of the murder – of their father and a family of their loved one."
Earlier this week a a police spokesman said to the ECHO: "Two males were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. One is now aged 55, the other is 35."
Mr Smith's murder was brought back into the public's attention last month when it was referenced at Liverpool Crown Court during his son's trial.
In an exchange with his barrister, Ian Whitehurst, Smith jnr said his father had died near to the scene of the fatal car crash in Speke.
Smith jnr cried in court when he said he was only eight or nine years old at the time of his dad's death.
Judge David Potter also addressed the matter of Colin Smith's death in his sentencing remarks.
He said: "The impact of the deaths of Clare and Anthony on the lives of the families and loved ones left behind is incalculable."
The judge added: "No one who has not suffered such a loss is in a position to understand how they feel. Ironically, you and your family do know only too well the devastation that sudden and violent death causes."
The judge told Smith jnr: "You have said from the witness box and now in your letter how devastated you feel for the deaths of Mrs Killey and Mr Cope.
"You have yourself suffered bereavement, not least in the death of your father when you were only eight."
The judge accepted that despite his "lies" and claims in the face of "compelling evidence", Smith jnr was "belatedly" genuinely remorseful.
Merseyside Police has issued regular appears for information in relation to Colin Smith's murder over the years and two men were arrested but no one has ever been charged.
Anyone with information should DM @MerPolCC on Twitter, message ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
