Policeman shot triad to save chopper victim

Detectives are investigating whether a traffic policeman who killed a triad thug in the midst of a brutal chopping attack on a busy Kowloon street did so because he feared the gangster was going to kill his victim, such was the ferocity of his assault.

Initial reports had suggested that the officer - who stumbled upon the attack in Cheung Sha Wan on Friday night - opened fire because he feared for his own life.

However, a source close to the investigation said yesterday the officer had to shoot because the chopper-wielding gangster ignored three warnings to stop his assault and continued to hack away at his victim.

Sources also confirmed the attack was the result of a gangland feud among factions of the Wo On Lok triad and that the chopping victim, 45, was the intended target, not three other men who were with him but who ran off as the gang of four attackers approached.

'It seems clear that these guys knew one another and the victim was very clearly the only intended target,' a source said. 'The guy who is now dead knew exactly who he was going for and his attack was sustained and brutal. The traffic officer shouted three warnings for him to stop as the other attackers ran away carrying knives. It looks like the officer did what he had to do to protect what he considered to be a life in danger.'

Detectives from the Kowloon West regional anti-triad unit have rounded up a number of senior Wo On Lok leaders for questioning.