Matthew Gibbard shooting: 'May have thought gun had no bullets'

The suspected robbery happened outside this hotel in the Puerto Madero area of Buenos Aries

A British businessman shot dead by thieves outside his Buenos Aires hotel may have believed their gun had no bullets.

Matthew Gibbard, 50, from Northamptonshire, was killed on Saturday in front of members of his family who were cowering in a minibus.

Driver Enrique Piacampo said when the gun was first fired, nothing happened.

Argentinian police have made several arrests, including of three Venezuelans apparently fleeing the country.

Mr Piacampo was dropping Mr Gibbard and his family off at the Faena Art Hotel when the gang struck at about 11:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

While he was unloading luggage, he heard someone saying "suitcase" and "watch".

He told TV station Telefe: "I saw that the first shot did not come out and the passenger, thinking that the gun had no bullets, continued struggling with the thieves."

The Faena Art Hotel is in an exclusive neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, popular with tourists

Mr Gibbard's family were hugging each other inside the minibus as the businessman was shot, he added.

Mr Piacampo said: "It was 40 seconds, but for me it was much longer."

Mr Gibbard was chairman of the holiday home manufacturer Tingdene, which is based in Wellingborough.

It has issued a statement saying "we are all devastated by Matthew's passing and this will leave a gap in many people's lives".

Mr Gibbard's stepson Stefan Zone, 28, is believed to have been injured in the robbery.

Security camera footage showed two men getting out of a white van outside the hotel in Puerto Madero, a waterside district popular with tourists

They were approached by at least two men on a motorbike, apparently accompanied by another vehicle.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family of two British men after an incident in Buenos Aires.