Tirana - A fugitive Albanian criminal fatally shot four police officers trying to arrest him in Adriatic coastal town of Durres on Friday, local reports said.

The gunman was also injured, arrested and transported to a hospital for treatment. The man was reportedly a fugitive from justice since escaping from a courtroom while on trial for murder in 2003.

Police in Durres, 50 kilometres west of Tirana, did confirmed the identity of the wounded gunman. (dpa)