The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word GENOCIDE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
G
E
N
O
C
I
D
E
More clues leading to the result GENOCIDE
- As recalled, no team reportedly finishing off race?
- Nothing fits with information detectives last gave on killing
- Proceeding, no press release given, carried out in Rwanda
- Information held on by old investigators to receive final evidence on mass murder
- Leaders of German establishment coined new term for ethnic cleansing
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "killing" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case killing = genocide.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does GENOCIDE mean?
GENOCIDE noun- The systematic killing of substantial numbers of people on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, social status, or other particularities.
- (by extension) The systematic suppression of ideas on the basis of cultural or ethnic origin; culturicide.
- The elimination of an entire class of monsters by the player.
- To commit genocide (against); to eliminate (a group of people) completely.