PENSIONER SHOT DEAD AFTER COMPLAINT ON DRUG DEALERS

A pensioner shot dead in front of his wife in a gangland-style killing had
complained about local drug dealers just days before his murder, it emerged
last night.

Terry Morgan, 69, was killed by a single shot to the chest as he got out of
his car near his home in Rugby on Wednesday night.

Mr Morgan had just driven his wife, Shirley, back from work but was
ambushed as he got out of his car.

Yesterday as police began a major inquiry into what they described as a
horrific murder it emerged that Mr Morgan had made complaints to a local
councillor about drug dealing going on in a nearby alleyway just three days
before his death.

Alan Webb, leader of Rugby council, said he had met Mr Morgan while he was
handing out leaflets on Sunday. "He first mentioned his concerns last
summer and when I met him on Sunday we talked about it again,a he said. "I
will obviously be speaking to the police in the next few days but I think
it is too soon to say if it is relevant.a

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Hussey, of Warwickshire Police, said
that his force was not ruling out any motive for the murder of the father
of five.

"At about 9.30pm Mr and Mrs Morgan drove home. As they pulled up on to the
drive, Shirley got out of the car and went to open the front door.

"She heard a loud bang on returning to the vehicle and she saw her husband
lying on the floor. Terry's last words were 'I've been shot. Can you call
an ambulance?' "On the face of it it appears to be the cold-blooded killing
of a likeable, law-abiding man. Officers are keeping an open mind as to the
motive at this stage and will be investigating a number of lines of inquiry."

A police source said later that Mr Morgan seemed a very unlikely target.
"He was a law-abiding man who was in some ways a pillar of the community,"
she said. "There appears not to be an obvious motive and indeed it is a
very unlikely place for such a shooting to take place. The police are as
shocked as everyone else."

Ken Kidd, 56, who used to work with Mr Morgan at an industrial electronics
firm, told of his friend's antipathy towards drugs. "Terry liked a few
beers although he never smoked and wasn't a heavy drinker but, like most
people, we knew that he was against drugs of any kind," he said. "Whenever
the subject arose he always seemed to have very strong views, especially
because it is known that there is a big drugs problem on the estate."

"I worked with Terry for at least four years. I didn't know a lot about his
family although he was a brilliant darts player and that was his one main
passion in life."

Roberta Bell, landlady at the nearby Merry Monk pub, who used to live in
the same street as the murder victim, said he used to play darts regularly.

"It's just a shock," she said. "Absolutely dreadful. I used to play darts
with him and he was a brilliant player and a really nice guy. I just can't
believe it and I couldn't get to sleep last night."

Another resident, who did not want to be named, added: "He was a
respectable man, a nice man. Everybody knew him around here to talk to. But
it's getting really bad up here with gangs of teenagers, abuse and vandalism."