Police try to establish motive for Pc’s murder

DETECTIVES are working to establish what made a man shoot dead an off-duty police officer before going on the run and apparently turning the gun on himself.

Essex Police said a “live murder inquiry” was continuing into the murder of Pc Ian Dibell and repeated calls for witnesses to come forward.

The plea came after prime suspect Peter Reeve, 64, was found dead 17 hours after the killing.

His body was discovered alongside a weapon close to a rural church in Chelmsford about 40 miles from the murder scene.

Pc Dibell is believed to have challenged the gunman in Clacton, Essex, on Monday before being shot dead, while another man was taken to hospital with leg injuries.

Essex Chief Constable Jim Barker-McCardle said officers were following a number of lines of inquiry as to the motive for the shootings and that all possibilities would be examined.

He added that there was no reason to think anybody else was involved in the killing.

Neighbours suggested the shootings may have been triggered by a local dispute over car parking.