appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Clifford Lo

Inquiry into Tsim Sha Tsui police gunfight also will look at 2001 slaying of constable and bank guard

The Coroner's Court will hear a joint inquest next month into the deaths of two policemen in last year's Tsim Sha Tsui subway shootout, along with the allegedly connected killings of a security guard and another police officer five years earlier.

The inquest date was announced by the judiciary yesterday after police completed the final investigation report into the March 17 gun battle in the underpass where constable Tsang Kwok-hang and off-duty constable Tsui Po-ko were killed and constable Sin Ka-keung was seriously wounded.

The coroner and a jury of five will also hear evidence at the same time into the 2001 killings of constable Leung Shing-yan and Hang Seng Bank security guard Zafar Iqbal Khan.

Final police reports on the three cases were submitted to the coroner on December 15, according to police.

The high-profile inquest is scheduled to begin on February 26 and will be one of Hong Kong's longest, running for 37 days.

'As the case is in legal proceedings, it is inappropriate to reveal any details,' a police spokesman said.

A source familiar with the case said police had discovered 'important and useful' evidence  that would be presented at the inquest.

The source said more than 50 witnesses would be called, adding: 'People who will be called in include related officers, psychologists, psychiatrists, ballistics experts and forensic pathologists.'

Investigators from the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, who had the job of investigating the shootout and 2001 killings, had looked into Tsui Po-ko's financial transactions, personal background and psychological state, the source added. Organising the wide range of witnesses, plus gathering advice from overseas and local experts on DNA, ballistic and other forensic evidence, is understood to have been among the reasons for the delay in calling the inquest.

Lawyer Daniel Wong Kwok-tung, who has been assisting Tsui's family, said the dead officer's wife had not been formally notified of the inquest, but said she would apply for legal aid to be represented at the proceedings.

Police chiefs have linked the Tsim Sha Tsui shootings to the murder of Leung, whose gun was stolen and used to kill security guard Khan during a bank robbery later the same year. They claimed Tsui was solely responsible for all three killings.

On July 1, Constable Sin, the sole survivor of the March 17 shoot-out, and Tsang were awarded the Medal for Bravery (Gold) in the 2006 honours list.

Michael Chan Pik-kiu is understood to be the coroner who will hear the case, while acting director of public prosecutions Arthur Luk Yee-shun will represent the government as the coroner's officer, assisting the coroner in cross-examining witnesses. The case is expected to be heard in Cantonese. Possible verdicts a jury can deliver in shooting cases are death by unlawful killing, lawful killing, misadventure, suicide or an open verdict.

Experts in making models from the police support unit are building a model of the Tsim Sha Tsui underpass, where the gun battle took place. On Tuesday, a group of officers from the unit took measurements of the underpass in preparation for making the model.

'The model will be presented at the inquest and help the court, jury, related lawyers and others to know more about the circumstances surrounding the gun battle,' a police source said.



Shoot-out inquest to cover 4 deaths