Police are searching for two suspects after businessman and former football chairman Stavros Demosthenous was shot dead in a contract killing in Limassol’s Sfalangiotissa area this morning.
Demosthenous was shot whilst travelling in a car driven by his son on a road near his home, according to philenews. A van blocked their path, stopped in front of them, its doors opened and the occupants began shooting the businessman, police sources said.
His son immediately attempted to drive him to hospital. A traffic accident occurred en route, immobilising the vehicle on the motorway, according to police sources.
The son stopped a passing car after the crash and asked the driver to take them to hospital, which he did.
When Demosthenous was transported to Limassol General Hospital, he was already dead, according to sources. The same sources said Stavros Demosthenous appears to have been shot in the head.
Major crime units from Limassol CID and the Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Department rushed to the scene and began collecting evidence. All Limassol police divisions are involved in a coordinated operation to locate the perpetrators, whilst a crisis centre has been established at Limassol Police Headquarters.
Police found a burnt van in the Germasogeia area which they believe the killers used to escape. The scene has been cordoned off and is being examined thoroughly.
The two suspects appear to have burnt the van and escaped on a black high-powered scooter-type motorcycle, according to sources.
A helicopter was searching the area whilst the car was burning.
Investigators have begun searching for CCTV footage in the Sfalangiotissa area and surrounding districts to map the perpetrators’ route before and after the killing.
Police are not ruling out any scenario, whilst all evidence points towards a contract killing with the hallmarks of a gangland score-settling, according to sources.
Demosthenous stepped down as chairman of second division club Karmiotissa FC in May 2025 and was formerly president of Aris Limassol.
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