A resident of the mixed Cypriot village of Pyla  was shot dead by a sniper on Tuesday night outside his residence. The victim was identified as Georgios Georgiou, aka Chicito.

Police were quick to point to a “contract killing” involving underworld crime, as Georgiou was identified as the owner of a local gambling den.

Georgiou, 40, was reportedly shot at night-time by a marksman as far as 130 meters away, a detail that Cypriot authorities said points to a skilled marksman. He was shot in the chest and shoulder while in the presence of his father and a friend. The other two were reportedly not targeted.

Police said the victim had previously been a subject in various criminal investigations. Up to 10 casinos are found in the area.     .

Pyla, which is located in a UN buffer zone and is adjacent to a British sovereign base on Cyprus, still retains its original Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot residents, roughly 800 and 400, respectively.