KOTA KINABALU: Police have shot dead another wanted criminal in a shootout at Inanam near here early on Thursday (Dec 5).
The suspect, aged 59, is believed to be an accomplice of the three men wanted for various crimes, including murder, who were earlier killed in a shootout with police in the Penampang district near here the day before.
In the latest incident, acting on a tip-off, police from the Sabah Criminal Investigation Department (CID) special investigation (D9) unit stormed a room at a building on Jalan Undan, near the Inanam Bus Terminal, at about 2.30am.
Sabah CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Azmi Abdul Rahim said the suspect suddenly opened fire at the raiding team.
"The suspect fired several shots, forcing the team to shoot back to protect themselves," he said when met at the scene.
"The suspect was confirmed to have died at the location," he added.
He said the man hailed from Sarawak, adding police believed the suspect was part of the group of men who were shot dead by police on Wednesday (Dec 4).
"We believe he was an accomplice to the three criminals involved in a string of crimes, including murder, in Sarawak," he added.
SAC Azmi said police believed they eliminated the group with the death of the fourth suspect, adding, however, that further investigation was ongoing.
On Wednesday (Dec 4), D9 policemen killed three men, in their 40s and 50s, in a shootout at the Beverly Hills Apartment in Penampang.
It is believed that the trio, suspected to be part of a gang in Sarawak, had fled the state after a murder case and used the apartment as their hideout.