‘Rogue policeman’ goes on the run after triple murder

Police in China are searching for a man who fled after a gun attack that killed three people and injured two others, prompting 100,000 yuan (NZ$23,500) to be offered for information leading to his arrest.

Gun violence is rare in China because the country has strict firearms regulations.

The suspect is believed to be a 36-year-old police officer who was praised for bravery last year after saving an elderly man in his 70s and a woman from drowning on two separate occasions, according to a report by the city’s public security bureau. The article has now been deleted.

The shooting happened on Tuesday afternoon in Muchuan, a small county in the Leshan city administration in southwestern Sichuan province, according to a police statement.

The suspect was identified as Li Qiang who ‘‘injured two with guns and killed three with weapons’’, without mentioning he had served as a police officer. Li is being investigated for his involvement in a ‘‘major criminal case’’. The police have released pictures of Li, as well as his identification card number and date of birth, which is a common practice in a warrant.

Local media reported that Li was armed with a 92-type pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition. He wounded two at a residential community before fleeing in his car.

Police said all ‘‘guns and ammunition involved in the case were seized’’ and offered a 100,000 yuan reward for anyone who ‘‘provided effective clues or captures the criminal suspects’’.

Police said as of 8.30pm on Thursday that Li was still on the run. Roadblocks and barricades have been set at motorways that leave Leshan city. Local media reported that the authorities had deployed officers to search for him in the mountains.

Online rumours said the motive behind the shooting was related to a family dispute, where the injured parties were a lover of Li’s wife and his family members.

Others suggested gamblingrelated debt.

Li entered the police force in 2012, according to the online article published by the city’s public security bureau.

While guns are strictly controlled, China has faced incidents of mass stabbings in recent years.

Six people were killed and 14 injured after a man stabbed passersby on a pedestrian shopping street in the eastern Chinese city of Anqing in June last year.

Two children were killed and 16 others wounded when a knifewielding man entered a kindergarten in southern China last April.