FOUR people were still being held this morning after detectives launched a murder inquiry over the death of a 39-year-old Oxford man.

The victim – named locally as Denis Witney – was found by police officers injured and dying in St Clement’s Street shortly before 9pm on Wednesday.

He was taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, but died of his injuries.

Police arrested two women, who are believed to be 28-year-old twins, and two men, aged 29 and 36, on suspicion of murder.

All of the suspects are from Oxford and are thought to have known the victim, who had links to London Road in Headington.

A police spokesman said this morning all four were still being held.

A friend of Mr Witney, who didn’t want to be named, told the Oxford Mail he believed a row had started over a woman.

People who knew Mr Witney said they had been told he had been stabbed, but police spokesman Rebecca Webber said: “There is not believed to be any weapons involved.”

She refused to answer any questions about what happened or if police had been called to reports of Mr Witney being attacked, or if officers had discovered him as part of their routine patrols.

As police officers continued their inquiries yesterday, Ali Azam, owner of Qumins restaurant, on the corner of Alma Lane, said: “My son was helping out here and when he left he saw two police officers with an injured man with a bandage on his head.

“He was injured in front of the piano shop in St Clement’s Street. There was blood where they found him.

“The police told us about it at about 9.30pm. We weren’t told to close.

“It was all cordoned off at about 11pm.”

Mr Witney, who had also been living in Two Saints hostel in Speedwell Street, died of his injuries in hospital.

Many business owners in St Clement’s Street were confronted with police tape when they opened up yesterday.

Kuljeet Khatri, of Oxford Off Licence and Groceries, said: “I’m shocked. Last night when I went up to my bedroom I saw the police from my window and I said to my husband ‘what happened across the road?’ He said ‘we were busy in the shop’ – he didn’t know.

“It’s very sad news.”

Across the road, behind a police cordon, St Clement’s News and Booze was forced to shut yesterday morning while detectives combed the scene for clues.

Owner Suresh Kumar said: “Police said he was a 39-year-old homeless man. I tried to ask them his name because quite a lot of homeless people come into the shop, but they wouldn’t tell me.

“I checked my CCTV cameras. I think the police will come and ask for the CCTV footage. I think they might get some clues from it, whoever came there would have crossed my CCTV cameras.”