Police release image of car they want to trace after man is shot dead near petrol station

Police have released an image of a car they want to trace after a man was shot dead near a petrol station in West Yorkshire.

Officers received a report at 9:43pm on Tuesday that a man had been seriously injured after a shot was fired from a car on Doncaster Road near the BP petrol station in Wakefield. The victim was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries.

Police said he is understood to be a 50-year-old man who was living in the local area. A murder investigation has been launched and the victim's immediate family are being supported by specially-trained officers.

The force said it believes the vehicle used in the offence was "on false plates" and was stolen in a burglary in Castleford, West Yorkshire, on 3 August. Police believe the car is a blue/grey-coloured Toyota RAV4 with a grey trim, displaying cloned plates FV53 FXT.

The vehicle is described as being "distinctive due to having bull lights on the roof above the windshield". Anyone who may have seen the car following the suspected burglary or around the time of the shooting has been asked to contact the force.

Police said the car may now have different number plates. Read more from Sky News:Jay Blades appears in court charged with rapeBacklash over police vans with facial recognition Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle, of West Yorkshire Police's homicide and major inquiry team, said: "A man has lost his life, and it is an absolute priority for us to understand the circumstances of what has taken place and identify anyone who has had any involvement in this incident." He added: "Motorists who were in the Doncaster Road area last night who have dashcams fitted are also asked to check whether they have captured any footage of this vehicle.

"The driver was driving in the direction of Wakefield before they have turned around near the BP petrol station immediately prior to the shooting and then driven off in the direction they came from." DCI Entwistle said the force is "dedicating significant resources" to the investigation and there is an increased police presence in the area to "provide reassurance to the community"..