Harry Roberts, 1966 Triple Murderer, Dies at 89

Harry Roberts, the convicted triple murderer responsible for one of Britain's most notorious police killings, has died at the age of 89. He passed away in a hospital last Saturday after a short illness, more than a decade after his release from prison.

Roberts's death marks the end of a long chapter tied to the Shepherd's Bush murders on August 12, 1966, in west London. That day, three unarmed Metropolitan Police officers were shot and killed during a routine traffic stop on Braybrook Street near Wormwood Scrubs prison. The officers, Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, Temporary Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and Police Constable Geoffrey Fox, 41, had pulled over a van for an expired tax disc. Inside were Roberts and two accomplices, John Duddy and Jack Witney, who were armed with a Luger P08 pistol and a .38 Enfield revolver. The men had planned to steal a vehicle for use as a getaway in an armed robbery scheduled for later that night.

According to court evidence, Roberts opened fire first, shooting Wombwell through the left eye. As Head ran toward the police car for cover, Roberts shot him in the back. Fox was then fatally wounded by one of the accomplices. Two...