WESTERN BUREAU — A man who police believe had a hand in the shooting of a deputy superintendent of police just outside Flankers, on the outskirts of Montego Bay last November, was shot dead by police in that community on Thursday evening.

Police identified him only as “Bibbi” and estimated that he was about 27 years old.

The police said they were on patrol at Providence Heights in the area at about 4:30 pm Thursday when they reportedly spotted “Bibbi” acting suspiciously.

Constabulary Communication Network officer for St James, Constable Peter Salkey, said the police then alighted from their car and approached him.

According to the cops, two other men joined “Bibbi” and all three of them brandished handguns and opened fire on the police.

The police, Salkey said, returned the fire and the men ran.

“Bibbi” was later found with gunshot wounds and a Taurus revolver with the serial number OJ34517 along with one live round and a spent shell, allegedly taken from him.

He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bibbi’s death brings to nine, the number of fatal shootings by the police in St James since the start of the year. The gun brings to 24, the number of firearms seized by the police in the parish since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, Constable Salkey said preliminary investigations reveal that “Bibbi” was involved in the shooting of Detective Superintendent of Police Anthony Castelle on the outskirts of Flankers last year.

Castelle had reportedly gone to the Texaco gas station in the area to buy petrol on the evening of November 12 last year when he walked into a robbery being committed by a group of men. “Bibbi”, the police said, was one of the men.

When the men saw Castelle, who was dressed in uniform, they opened fire on him.

He was shot in the hip and hospitalised for over two months, Salkey said.