Ayrshire murder hunt launched after man killed outside own home

John Taylor was pronounced dead outside his own home on Friday afternoon.

Detectives have launched a murder hunt after a man was killed outside his own home.

John Taylor was found fatally injured on Pollock Crescent, Kilwinning on Friday just before 2pm.

Emergency services, including police and medics attended the scene in the Blacklands area of town but Mr Taylor could not be saved.

Police believe the attack on the 44-year-old was targeted with Police Scotland's major investigations unit investigating the case.

Following a post-mortem examination, police are now treating the death as murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Graham McCreadie, Major Investigation Teams West, said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Taylor's family and friends at this extremely difficult time.

"They are being supported by specially trained officers and have asked that their privacy is respected.

"From our enquiries so far, we believe this to have been a targeted attack and a dedicated team of officers are working to trace those responsible as soon as possible.

"We have already spoken to a number of people who came to Mr Taylor's aid until the ambulance arrived and I would like to thank them for their assistance.

"However, I am still keen to speak to anyone else who was in the area at the time, and may have seen or heard anything suspicious. Please get in touch with officers if you can help.

"Any information could prove vital to getting answers for Mr Taylor's family.

“We would also urge anyone who was in the Pollock Crescent and surrounding area with a dashcam to check your footage as you may have captured something which could be of significance to our investigation."

Police also acknowledged that the murder has caused concern in the community but assured the public that officers were doing everything to identify those responsible for the fatal attack.

DCI McCreadie added: "We understand this incident will be concerning for the local community but please be assured we are doing everything we can to identify those involved as quickly as possible, with CCTV footage being gathered from the surrounding area and door to door enquiries continuing.

"There will be additional patrols in the area and anyone with any concerns, or information, can approach these officers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 1878 of 18 October 2024.

Detectives have also set up a website that gives members of the public access to a form to send information directly to the Major Investigation Team, which can be submitted anonymously.

The portal can be accessed at: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT24S10-PO1

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