February 7, 2001 16:17: The peace of a quiet suburban neighbourhood was shattered on Saturday night with the sound of gunfire and the death of an Asian man in an execution-style killing.

The victim was 21-year-old Akbal Brar who lived in Southall. The shooting occurred at 9.15pm on Park Parade, near Barra Hall Circus.

The victim and a passenger pulled up outside shops in Park Parade in a white Ford Fiesta. The passenger then started a conversation with an unknown black man who had been standing close to the shops.

Another man then approached the vehicle on foot and fired a single shot through the window which hit and later killed the driver. The suspect then left the scene.

The two remained in the car and drove home where an ambulance was called. The victim was taken to Ealing Hospital where he died. Police cordoned off the crime scene and combed it for evidence until late Sunday afternoon.

The killing has shocked residents and police in the relatively quiet Hayes neighbourhood, which is unaccustomed to such brutal crimes.

One elderly woman who lives nearby said she thought the gunshot sounded like a car backfiring, and she couldn't believe it when she found out what had happened. She added that such shootings, though, were perhaps a sign of modern times.

Hayes police chief, sector inspector Frank Dowthwaite said such a crime was unheard of in the area.

"A straight murder like this is not an everyday thing, in fact it is not an every year thing. After 25 years as a police officer nothing surprises me, however, this is very unusual," he said.

Insp Dowthwaite said the location was close to Hayes Town Centre, which experiences similar types of crime troubles to most other London town centres.

"We have the usual problems with groups of people, but these are certainly not streets of fear."

He said comparatively speaking, street crime was very low in Hayes.

Police at this stage are keeping an open mind as to the motive for the killing and are following several lines of enquiry.

The investigation is being conducted by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Serious Crime Group West and anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 8358 1753, or Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555111.

A man was arrested in connection with this enquiry on Saturday night and has been bailed to return to a west London police station on a date in March.

By.Kent Milburn