A SEMI-automatic pistol was used by the killer of West Belfast murder victim Jim Donegan.
Mr Donegan, 43, was shot dead outside St Mary's Grammar School on the Glen Road on December 4. The attack happened as the victim was waiting in his red Porsche to collect his 13-year-old son from school.
Head of PSNI’s serious crime branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray, also revealed that Jim Donegan was known to police and had a number of enemies.
He also said bullet heads and cartridges recovered from the scene have been examined and “any information that we gain from that will drive the investigation forward”.
"Mr Donegan was known to the police, but I'm not going to go into the details of how he was known to the police," added Det Ch Supt Murray
"The direction that we are taking, the focus - the absolute ruthless focus - that we have in our lines of investigation are beginning to put a story together."
Earlier this week, the Police Ombudsman’s Office said the PSNI is to be investigated over how it dealt with information on a "potential threat" to Jim Donegan.
A spokesperson for the Police Ombudsman's Office said: “The Police Ombudsman has commenced an investigation into how the PSNI dealt with information about a potential threat to James Donegan, received by police prior to his murder.
"The Police Ombudsman's Office is now investigating whether this information was properly processed and actioned by police. We have informed Mr Donegan's family about our investigation and will keep them updated as our enquiries progress.”
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “As this matter is currently being investigated by the Police Ombudsman, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.”
