PENAMPANG: Two suspected criminals were believed to have been killed in a shootout with police from the Special Task Force at Penampang New Township near Servay Hypermarket this afternoon.
It is believed the two men were travelling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle when they were shot dead around 4pm.
A woman who was travelling with them and seated in the rear of the vehicle has been arrested following the incident.
Police remained tight-lipped over the incident although they had ordered business operators to close shop and members of the public to leave the area.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Rahman when contacted said he would disclose the full details of the incident in a press conference tomorrow (October 31).
However, various accounts of the incidents have emerged with alleged witnesses giving different versions of what transpired.
Social media such as Facebook and Whatsapp were rife with speculation of what occurred, some claiming the shoot out was due to gangsterism while others claimed police had been tailing the two men before the incident happened.
Shop operators also claimed to have seen policemen in a four-wheel drive cutting in front of the two men’s vehicle before gunshots were heard.
Some witnesses claimed that there were two dead bodies inside the vehicle while others said that they saw three people running out of it.
A forensics team later arrived while the police had cordoned off the area and told members of the public to refrain from taking photos.
However, news of the incident and photos have already gone viral on social media as many people were in the area scene when it happened.
Reporters as well as photographers at the scene and behind the police cordon line were also ordered not to take any photos while some photographers had their cameras taken away and pictures deleted.