The gun that belonged to suspected death squad hitman Axel Williams is in police custody but it is still unknown if ballistics tests were done to determine whether the weapon was used in any of the unsolved murders that have been attributed to him.

A police source confirmed last week that the weapon is in the custody of police who recovered it after Williams was killed last December.

The source told Stabroek News that it is the established procedure for ballistic tests to be conducted on all weapons which are retrieved to find out whether they were ever used in the commission of unsolved crimes.

The source did confirm that tests are being done on the gun but was unable to verify whether there have been any conclusive results that would remove doubts about Williams' character.

He has been implicated in, or linked to the abduction and or murders of more than ten people over the last two years, when he is alleged to have worked as a member of a group formed to hunt criminals.

The murders of Othniel Embrack, Andrew McPher-son, Oliver Springer, Derrick Torrington, a man identified as `Buckman', Lloyd Bourne, Sherwin Manohar, Clive Savoury, Clive McLean, Troy Dexter Lewis and Andre Etienna are all still unsolved.

At the time of his death Williams was licensed to use a 9mm pistol, a weapon usually requested by businessmen who are involved in high-risk ventures.

Many questions have been raised about the issuance of a licence to Williams, who had been under investigation in 2002 after he shot and killed Rasville food vendor Rodwell Ogle in an altercation over twenty dollars.

Based on the police investigation an officer in the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions directed that Williams be charged for the capital offence of murder for Ogle's death.

But the directive was amended later the same day by a more senior officer who recommended that a Corner's Inquest be held instead.

Williams was then licensed to use a .32 revolver which was returned to him after the directive was amended, although he had never been cleared of the allegations that he killed Ogle.

Less than a year after, he was given approval for an upgrade by the ex-Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald on the assent of Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj. No inquest had been held up to that point.

Williams was killed in December in a well-planned execution that is believed to have been carried out by member of the group he once led. His murder is still unsolved.