Police are hunting a man who killed three people, including two police officers, and wounded two others in a shooting rampage late on Tuesday night. The man was apparently enraged because his former wife had had an affair with one of the police officers killed.

The gunman has been identified as Montree Saenkham.

Tha Kham police have ordered officers to exercise extreme caution - and to shoot to kill, if necessary - because Montree is said to have good shooting skills from his frequent hunting trips.

Police found Montree's car yesterday abandoned on Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon province. The vehicle was discovered near the crime scene, an electrical-appliance shophouse located behind Central Rama II department store. The shophouse was co-owned by Siriphorn Nutadee, one of the murder victims, who was a sister of Nittaya Nutadee, the gunman's former wife.

Police quoted witnesses as saying that Montree, armed with a pistol, raided the shophouse from a nearby hiding place and opened fire on Siriphorn and her husband Suchart at around 10.30pm on Tuesday night after the two had just had dinner with three police officers. Montree had waited until the three officers left the shophouse before making his attack.

Siriphorn was seriously wounded and was later pronounced dead in hospital, while her husband was only wounded slightly.

The gunman then ran after a car in which the three police officers were already driving away from the shophouse. He fired at the vehicle and the three officers got out and tried to escape.

Montree walked up to Pol Sr Sgt Major Banjong Katemanee, the driver, who was behind the car, and shot him, killing him instantly. He then shot Pol Colonel Praphon Klaekosol, the officer who was having an affair with his former wife. Praphon also died instantly.

Pol Lt Colonel Natthaphong Boolong was also shot, and he lay unconscious as Montree fled the scene in his car. Natthaphong is still in a critical condition in the emergency unit of Nakhon Thon Hospital.

The three officers were assigned to Metropolitan Police Division 9.

Praphon, 54, had been seeing Nittaya, 32, since he was divorced from his wife in 2000. Nittaya and Montree, who had two children together, were divorced in 2001.

A source said Montree, 40, had been trying to renew his relationship with Nittaya but she continually refused. Montree had reportedly been angry with Siriphorn as he believed she kept encouraging her sister to continue seeing Praphon instead of going back to Montree. Tha Kham police have pressed six criminal charges against Montree.

Division commander Pol Maj General Phanurat Meephian said the police were also looking into other possible motives for the shootings apart from the affair between Praphon, a division deputy commander, and Nittaya, who jointly owned the electrical-appliance shop with Siriphorn.