POLICE divers have been searching the murky waters of Taylor Park boating lake in the hunt for the weapon used to kill a father-of-two.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the gun, used to blast Christopher Honnor in the chest in a shocking daytime slaying, has yet to be found.

Onlookers spotted underwater search teams exploring the St Helens park’s lake, which is about two miles from the scene in Prescot where Mr Honnor was gunned down.

The police spokesman said: “The police activity in Taylor Park last Saturday was linked to the search for the weapon and it is ongoing.

“It is the only place we have searched based on information we have and wasn’t a random location.”

The 40-year-old died in hospital shortly after he was shot in a flat on Warrington Road in Prescot last Thursday (October 13).

In harrowing scenes, he staggered out of his home above a row of busy shops, including an off licence and florist, before collapsing outside.

Speaking to the Star last week, a woman who works at a shop close by said that in the moments following the shooting, onlookers suspected Mr Honnor was a regular customer who had stumbled over, however, it soon became apparent he was seriously injured.

She explained: “As I was coming on shift, a colleague said a customer dashed into the shop saying there was a fellow outside covered in blood. When she went outside, the man was already on the floor.”

Christopher Strettle (43), from Park Avenue in Eccleston Park, has been charged with murder and 41-year-old Lesley Strettle, of the same address, has been charged with assisting an offender.

They appeared at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court last Saturday (October 15).

A 37-year-old woman from Prescot, who was arrested in connection with the incident, has been released without charge