Kedah police chief Fisol Salleh said the suspect tried to speed away after a CID team ordered him to stop his car at around 5.30pm when he was found acting suspiciously.

He skidded to a halt and fired two gunshots at the policemen, Fisol said, according to Bernama. “The policemen fired back in self defence,” he said, adding that the man was a suspected criminal.

“Two pistols and multiple bullets were found in the suspect’s vehicle. There were 100 pieces each of nine millimetre and 38 millimetre bullets.” Police also found 5.56 millimetre bullets in the car, which is typically used for rifles such as the M16.

Fisol said the suspect had a criminal record involving narcotics and ownership of fake firearms. Police are also probing if the deceased was a member of any syndicate.