JINAN - Police in East China`s Shandong province said on Saturday that one of the two killers who shot four policemen on Jan 4 had also murdered another man before the gunfight.

Liu Jianjun, 50, allegedly killed a man on Dec 29 last year in Dezhou city of Shandong.

Liu and his 52-year-old brother, Liu Lumin, fired at the policemen on Jan 4, as they investigated a murder that took place in the province`s Tai`an city on Dec 29. Three of the policemen died at the scene, while another died later in hospital.

According to a statement released on Saturday night by the Shandong provincial police department, early on Dec 29 police in Dezhou received a report that local resident Dou Guangdong had been killed near his home and that his wife, Zhang Jianju, was a major suspect in the case.

On Dec 31, Zhang confessed to police that she and her husband had been living separately for more than a year and that their relationship had recently deteriorated further over property disputes. She then conspired with her lover, Liu Jianmin, to murder Dou.

Liu Jianmin contacted his brother, Liu Jianjun, who lives in Tai`an, to carry out the act.

On the night of Dec 28, Liu Jianjun arrived in Dezhou, where Dou was stabbed to death as he made his way home from working the night shift at a factory. Liu took the train back to Tai`an immediately afterwards, the police said.

On Jan 1, police in Dezhou detained and questioned Liu Jianmin, who denied he had anything to do with Dou`s death.

They then expanded the scope of their investigation to include other members of Liu Jianmin`s family, at which point police officers were sent to Tai`an.

When they reached Liu Jianjun`s home in Tai`an on Jan 4, Liu Jianjun and Liu Lumin suddenly started firing at the police from inside a security door.

After shooting the officers, the two men made their getaway, hijacking four cars and shooting two drivers before their vehicle was rammed by a police wagon.

The gunmen, armed with a homemade pistol and a double-barreled shotgun, continued to fire at the police after they had been cornered, injuring further officers and civilians.

Finding themselves besieged by the police, Liu Lumin shot and killed himself, while Liu Jianjun was taken into custody.

Liu Jianjun has previously served two prison terms for theft and assault between 1985 and 2000.

The funerals of the four officers who died in the shootout were held on Sunday in Tai`an, where thousands turned out to pay their respects. The four police officers - Xiao Bin, Xia Bo, Qi Honghai and Li Liang - have all been honored as martyrs, according to the Tai`an city government.

China Daily - Xinhua