Armed police have launched an operation in Qrendi near the residence of murder victim Bernice Cassar, eyewitnesses said.

Officers wearing protective gear were seen approaching the house where Cassar lived with her husband and two children.  A police negotiator was speaking to a suspect on the phone trying to convince him to turn himself in.

Bernice Cassar, 40, was shot as she drove to work at Corradino on Tuesday morning and died on the spot. The aggressor drove away. 

Police said she had filed reports of domestic violence.