Cryptic crossword No 3,444

Hi Four5tring, thanks for an engaging puzzle with some nice chuckles and aha moments along the way. My faves were 1a, 5a, 17a (unusual placing of def but ok by me- maybe having ‘finding gunman’ at the end more straightforward?), 25a, 6d, 8d, & 19d. Along with the direct hits there were some near misses which I hope will be helpfully elaborated below…