Daniel Smith, from Billericay, Essex, was sitting with friends at a terrace table when he was shot three times in the face by a gunman on a motorbike.

Daniel Smith, from Billericay, Essex, was sitting with friends at a terrace table when he was shot three times in the face by a gunman on a motorbike.

Police believe Mr Smith, who has been on the run from detectives in Britain for three years, was the victim of a contract killing. 

Drinkers at the Lounge Bar, a British-run drinking spot, watched in horror as he was gunned down in Mijas, near Malaga, in southern Spain on Saturday night.

According to reports, the killer was on the back of a motorbike driven by another man and fired six shots in total. 

Mr Smith was shot three times in the face, and the gunman fired three other rounds which missed him.

A regular told The Sun: 'He kept firing at Dan even though he was on the ground. It was horrible.'

Police in Britain had been seeking Mr Smith over a shooting in 2007 of an Essex businessman, who survived but lost three fingers.

Mr Smith was the third Briton to be murdered on the Costa del Sol in the last six weeks in what was thought to be a struggle between British gangs for control of the drug trade, according to The Times. 

Spain’s Civil Guard said the murder 'had all the hallmarks' of a contract killing. No arrests have been made.

A Civil Guard spokesman told The Times: 'We received a number of calls at 10.10pm reporting gunshots. 

'Emergency services attended the scene but they were unable to save the man’s life. He died from gunshot wounds.'

He added: 'The gunman and his accomplice escaped on a motorbike. It had the hallmarks of a gangland settling of scores.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1284867/Wanted-Brit-Daniel-Smith-gunned-Costa-del-Sol-bar-assassination.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0qFcXY6oN