DETECTIVES hunting a gunman who is believed to have shot dead police officer Ian Dibell say they have a “significant update” in their investigation.

They will hold a press conference at Essex Police’s headquarters in Chelmsford at 10.30am.

Officers were contacted shortly after 3.30pm yesterday following reports of shotgun fire off Redbridge Road, in Clacton-on-Sea. They arrived and found one man dead and another man lying in the street with serious leg injuries.

Essex Police have named the dead man as Pc Ian Dibell, who was off-duty at the time of the shooting.

Police received calls stating a man with a handgun was shooting at another man in the area of Redbridge Road – the suspect was identified as Peter Reeve.

It is understood PC Ian Dibell, 41, an off-duty police officer, intervened and challenged Peter Reeve – Pc Dibell was then fatally shot.

The suspect’s car was found abandoned at the junction of Epping Close and Jubilee Avenue but he has yet to be found.