Police have arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of murder after a man was shot dead in the early hours of New Year’s Day in central London.

Aaron McKoy was killed in Clerkenwell while celebrating his 22nd birthday.

He was gunned down in Portpool Lane at about 4.10am on Sunday.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police say Mr McKoy had been at the Clerkenwell House Wine Bar in Hatton Wall in the hours before he was killed.

It is thought he was involved in an altercation in the busy venue around 4am, and officers are investigating whether this was a factor in the murder.

A suspect is believed to have fled in the direction of Leather Lane.

Officers from the Met’s Trident unit, which deals with gun crime in London’s black communities, are investigating.

Detective Chief Inspector John Crossley said: “The venue was very busy going into the early hours of New Year’s Day and we are extremely keen to talk to anyone who was in attendance.

“We believe the victim was involved in an incident in the venue and that this may have been the prompt for his killing.

“If you were there and noticed a dispute taking place I would urge you to get in touch as soon as possible, to enable us to bring those responsible to justice.

“I would also like to appeal for those with businesses in the area to make contact, so that we can access their premises and retrieve CCTV footage. It is essential that we view any CCTV as soon as possible to see if anything of use to the inquiry can be gleaned.”

Anyone with information should call the incident room on 020 8733 4212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.