This is a fully fictional shocking-news style storyline imagined purely for dramatic entertainment, and the EastEnders universe has been thrown into absolute turmoil after authorities officially confirmed that the gunshot heard on Christmas Day was not a tragic accident or random act of violence but a calculated, deliberate attempt on Oscar Branning’s life, a revelation that has instantly transformed a haunting mystery into a full-scale whodunit soaked in fear, betrayal, and buried grudges, because forensic analysis within this imagined storyline has now verified that the bullet’s trajectory, angle, and distance prove beyond doubt that the shooter aimed with intent, precision, and prior knowledge of Oscar’s movements, shattering any lingering hope that the incident was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and as this update spread through Walford, shock quickly gave way to paranoia as residents began asking the most terrifying question of all, who would want Oscar Branning dead, and why now, especially on Christmas Day, a time chosen either for symbolic cruelty or calculated distraction, and investigators revealed that the shooter appeared to know exactly where Oscar would be standing at that moment, suggesting surveillance, planning, and possibly inside information, igniting suspicion that the threat is not coming from outside the Square but from someone woven deeply into its social fabric, someone Oscar trusted or underestimated, and as detectives quietly reopened old case files, the storyline began resurfacing unresolved conflicts from Oscar’s past, including a long-forgotten dispute involving money that vanished years ago, a failed deal that left someone ruined while Oscar walked away untouched, and whispers of a secret testimony Oscar may have given that sent another character’s life spiraling into chaos, making it chillingly clear that this attack may be the delayed consequence of a sin that never truly disappeared, and the tension escalated when authorities confirmed that the shooter did not flee in panic but retreated calmly, suggesting experience, confidence, and the intention to strike again if necessary, sending Walford into lockdown-like fear as families barred doors and old enemies suddenly looked at each other through a new lens of suspicion, because if someone was capable of pulling the trigger once, they might not hesitate to finish the job, and Oscar himself became the emotional center of the storm, portrayed in quiet hospital scenes grappling not only with physical recovery but the crushing realization that someone wanted him erased, replaying every argument, every betrayal, every secret he thought was buried, now wondering which one finally crossed the line into attempted murder, and as word leaked that police had narrowed their focus to a small circle of suspects, tensions exploded across the Square, with confrontations erupting, alibis unraveling, and characters slipping up under pressure, revealing cracks in stories that once seemed solid, while one particularly chilling twist emerged when a weapon matching the caliber used in the shooting was rumored to be missing from a location connected to someone close to the Branning family, turning grief into suspicion and loyalty into something dangerously fragile, and fans within this imagined world were left reeling as beloved characters were suddenly recast as potential villains, with festive memories of laughter and togetherness now poisoned by the knowledge that someone watched Oscar through a scope while carols played nearby, and the storyline deepened further when investigators hinted that the shooter’s intent may not have been immediate death but a warning, suggesting a psychological game designed to terrify Oscar into silence or force him to confess something he has been desperately hiding, raising the horrifying possibility that the truth behind the attack could implicate multiple residents and unravel years of shared history, and as Christmas decorations remained up around the Square, they took on an eerie quality, twinkling lights illuminating whispered arguments, fearful glances, and a community slowly realizing that the greatest danger may not be an unknown outsider but the familiar face across the pub, and the update ended on a chilling note when detectives confirmed that Oscar was not the only name on their list, implying the shooter’s plan may be far bigger than a single target, and as the story barrels forward, the question gripping Walford is no longer just who shot at Oscar Branning, but who is capable of doing it again, because with motive now established and intent confirmed, the Christmas Day gunshot is no longer a mystery of what happened, but a ticking countdown to what happens next, promising a dark, explosive chapter where secrets surface, alliances collapse, and the truth behind the bullet’s path could change the Square forever.