A family was in hiding today after an Oxford man survived an attempted doorstep execution.

Two men knocked on the door of a home in Brampton Road, Barton, at about 10.40pm on Tuesday and asked the 59-year-old man, who answered to confirm his name.

One of the men then pulled out a medium-sized handgun. But the intended victim instinctively slammed the door shut, knocking the weapon as it went off.

The bullet missed the father-of-three by inches, passing through some coats and hitting a wall.

The two men sped off in a dark-coloured hatchback car, believed to be Volkswagen Golf or a Polo.

Last night, police investigating the attack said it was a miracle the man –who they are refusing to name – had not been killed.

Det Chief Insp Colin Paine said: “As a result of him trying to close the door, the shot missed him by a matter of inches.

“It’s miraculous this victim isn’t dead.

“To have been shot at at point-blank range and survived is completely exceptional.”

Officers said the victim and his wife were under police protection.

Up to 20 detectives are working on the investigation.

Mr Paine said that he was confident the attempted murder was not linked with any other incidents. He added: “There are a number of possibilities as to the motivation and I wouldn’t want to speculate at this early stage, but there are likely to be people within the community who will know.

“This is highly atypical for Barton.

“I think it’s likely that the offenders are likely to be within the criminal fraternity, because they had access to a gun and it’s likely that people locally have information that will lead us to them.

“This wasn’t a random attack. They asked for the person by name.”

Neighbours were shocked by the incident.

James Peden, 70, who lives opposite the house, said: “I was just going to bed and I heard a bang and I thought someone might have hit my car.

“After the bang there was a screeching type sound.

“It wasn’t until later that I put two and two together – that it was the gun and the car screeching away.

He added: “We have known the couple for years. They’re very nice people.”

“It’s a bit close to home but we’ve lived here for 40 years and we’ve never had any problems here.”

A mother-of-six, who asked not to be named, said: “I don’t feel happy here at all and this has made it worse. I want to move out of Barton.”

One of the men was described as of Asian or mixed race. He was between 5ft 8in and 5ft 9in tall and of a slim build.

He was smartly dressed, in a grey top and black blazer, with distinctive half-sideburns.

The intended victim could not describe the second man, who was the one holding the gun.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Oxford CID on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.