A man killed in a street shooting has been named.

He was 31-year-old Xhem Krasniqi.

Xhem  was shot in Church Road at around 11:30pm on Saturday.

His two companions were also shot at.

Police are treating the shooting as a murder and two attempted murders.

Detective Chief Inspector Jeff Riley is now leading the investigation.

He said:"The shooting took place in a busy road and witnesses have given us valuable information as to what happened.

"We are still piecing together all the evidence but we have identified a man we would very much like to talk to in relation to this incident.

"We will not be publicising his name at this time but be assured that we are make every effort to trace him and all ports have been informed should he try to leave the country.

"We believe there is a link between this man and the group of three men and this forms a key line of our inquiry.

"One scenario is that the group and the offender may have agreed to meet, but we are open minded about this and as to the motive. This is not gang-related and there is no suggestion that the group of three men was part of any criminal group.

"The man who tragically died has been identified as Xhem Krasniqi, aged 31, a scaffolder who lived in Kent. He had gone to Brighton that day with his wife and two young children to visit family.

"This was a dreadful incident and his family, as you can imagine, are distraught. We are working closely with them and we are offering them all support through dedicated family liaison officers."

The three men, including Mr Krasniqi, and the offender were walking towards eachother in Chruch Road, junction with Selborne Road, Hove, when shots were fired at the three men. Mr Krasniqi was hit in the torso and later died in hospital.

"The two other men were not injured. We believe a pistol, which has not been recovered, fired at least three shots at the men, who are all Albanian. A post mortem is taking place today and this will involve a ballistics expert to help us in our investigation.

DCI Riley said: ""We have had more than 20 witnesses come forward and CCTV is being checked in the area although there is no CCTV of the incident available at this time.

"We are investigating this as a murder and two attempted murders. Many local people have been shocked and distressed by this incident but I can reassure them that we believe this was not a random incident and that they are at very low risk.

"Neighbourhood policing officers are in the area and I would ask anyone who is concerned to talk to them."

Pay tribute to Xhen below or email anna.roberts@theargus.co.uk