POLICE have recovered a gun which they believe could have been used to shoot dead a man in Southampton.

Officers scouring the scene of the shooting in St Mary's Street where the fatal shooting happened on Saturday morning confirmed that a weapon had been found.

The gun has now been sent to ballistic experts to confirm whether it was the one used to kill 23-year-old Jamal Jones.

Meanwhile four people remain in custody on suspicion of murdering Jamal who was known as Lucky.

They are a 36-year-old woman and three men aged 41, 21 and 18.

The investigation team will today continue to conduct house to house inquiries in the St Mary's area as well as examining forensic and CCTV evidence.

Detective Superintendent Callan Cessford, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is a complex and constantly evolving investigation involving officers from the Hampshire Major Investigation Team as well as officers and staff from local teams and specialist roles.

“As a result of a thorough search yesterday a firearm has been recovered. We will need to carry out tests on it to establish whether it is relevant to this investigation.”

"There has been discussion in the media and on social media sites about the victim's lifestyle.

“Whilst we believe at this stage that this murder was drug related, I want to send out a very clear message that we are treating this murder as seriously as we would any other and that we will investigate it thoroughly and professionally with the aim of bringing whoever committed this crime to justice.

"We have had a positive response from the community so far and for this I thank them. I would still like to appeal to people who may know anything about this crime to come forward and talk to us.

“If they are anxious about talking to the police then I would like to reassure them that we have processes in place to speak to them confidentially and address any concerns they may have about their personal safety.

"If they still don't feel that they can talk to the police then I would urge them to call the anonymous Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111. Any piece of information, no matter how small it may seem, could be vital to the investigation."

Anyone with any information should contact the Hampshire Major Investigation Team by telephoning 101 and quoting Operation Emetic or by calling Crimestoppers.

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