POLICE believe the officer shot dead in a Kwai Chung housing estate

yesterday may have been lured there by a bogus call from people

intending to snatch his revolver and bullets.

Constable Leung Shing-yan, 23, was sent to handle a noise-complaint

case on the fifth floor of Shek To House, Block B, in Shek Wai Kok

Estate shortly before noon.

A few minutes later a resident reported hearing gunfire and said a

policeman had been shot.

Leung, who had been in the force for four years, was taken to nearby

Yan Chai Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

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His revolver, a .38 calibre Smith & Wesson containing six bullets, and

one extra clip of six bullets were missing.

The constable was shot four times above his left eyebrow, in the

left arm, in the back and in the back of the head after apparently

putting up a struggle against at least two attackers as he also

suffered a knife wound to the neck. A post-mortem examination will

determine if Leung was shot with his own revolver.

More than 100 emergency unit officers, many armed with automatic

weapons and wearing bulletproof vests, cordoned off and searched the

area for more than seven hours. Road blocks were set up, but by late

last night the killer or killers had not been found.

All residents in the immediate block were ordered out of their flats

and searched by armed officers.

Meanwhile, police were unable to trace the caller who filed the

original noise complaint.

"The call was made from a mobile phone, but the number was not

registered to anyone," said Tsuen Wan Assistant Divisional Commander

Superintendent Cheung Koon-wah, adding that "we have not ruled out

that someone lured the officer to the scene".

A police source said it was certain that the officer was lured to the

scene for his gun.

"It appeared to be a well-planned plot. The culprits filed a noise

complaint because they knew only one officer would turn up to

investigate," the source said.

"There must have been at least two culprits at the scene because one

of them was holding a knife."

Leung's body was found outside flat 552, and last night police took

two boxes and one plastic bag containing what appeared to be clothes

from the scene. They also took the front door of flat 553. The tenant,

a Ms Chan, said she was only told that it was wanted as evidence.

Ms Chan said the tenants of flat 552 were a man believed to be in his

20s and his elderly mother.

Commissioner of Police Tsang Yam-pui said he was deeply saddened by

Leung's death. He vowed the force would spare no effort to bring those

responsible to justice.

"I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family,

friends and colleagues of the constable. I wish to assure them that

resources have been deployed to ensure that a full and thorough

investigation into this terrible tragedy is conducted," he said.

Junior Police Officers' Association chairman Lau Kam-wah said his

colleagues mourned the death of the officer and would do whatever they

could to help his family.

Leung joined the force in 1996. Being the eldest son and still single,

he provided the main source of income for his family. As he died in

the line of duty, Leung will receive a funeral with the force's

highest honours and be buried at Gallant Garden in Fan Ling.

Editorial: Page A10

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