According to local GNR sources, two officers were called to an attempted robbery at a hotel at around 7.25am on Tuesday morning.
While it is not clear whether he acted alone or whether more assailants are involved, it is believed the bloody shooting spree started after the assailant or assailants were asked by the officers to pull over in his van and provide ID.
The main suspect, named and identified in the press as 44-year-old Pedro Dias, then shot dead one of the officers and shot and injured the other before embarking on a bloody shooting spree with them both in his van.
In the following hours two unsuspecting civilians, a couple in a car, were also shot during the bloody rampage, one of whom, the man, died from his injuries, the other, a woman, being left in a critical condition and reportedly on life support in hospital.
The civilians are said to have been on their way to a fertility treatment appointment in Coimbra, and became the tragic victims of a botched carjacking by the suspect.
A third GNR officer was also shot and injured later on that day.
Hundreds of police officers spent at least 24 hours searching for the two assailants in São Pedro do Sul and Arounca, ordering residents of local villages to remain indoors.
While searches on the ground in São Pedro do Sul have now been suspended, police patrolling of the area is still very much active.
Following the release of a photo of the main suspect to the media, sightings have been reported from all over the country, hindering the police’s task of locating the suspect or
suspects.
At the time of going to press on Thursday, a more discreet surveillance of the area was being conducted.