A FATHER has told how he came across murder suspect Alexander Lawton dying in a car.

And police have confirmed today they are continuing their investigations into this week's chain of tragic incidents, especially the murder of 20-year-old Thornton Lodge man Zubair Munir which started it all off.

Detectives confirmed this morning that a bullet found in Lawton's car where he was discovered critically hurt matched the bullet which killed Mr Munir and bullets used to shoot two police officers who tried to arrest him at The Fleece pub in Ripponden shortly after 4pm on Tuesday.

Lawton was discovered slumped in his car three hours later by Mark Godfrey, 42, and his six-year-old daughter, Rebecca, who were going for an early evening bike ride close to their home in Northowram, Halifax.

They spotted Lawton's red Peugeot 106 on a country road.

Accountant Mr Godfrey's attention was drawn to it because the engine was running, but no-one seemed to be inside.

As they rode past the car on Hall Lane, Mr Godfrey glanced in and noticed a man lying across the front seats.

He had no shirt on and at first Mr Godfrey was unsure whether he was sleeping, ill or suffering from an overdose.

"It looked really odd," he said. "I did a U-turn and went back for another look. The window was slightly ajar - about three or four inches down - and the man was sat in the driver's seat, but slumped on to the passenger seat where he was laid down."

It now appears that Lawton, 28, of Alomndbury Close, Almondbury, had already shot himself in the head at this point.

Mr Godfrey cycled home and left Rebecca with her elder sisters, Rachael, 15, and 12-year-old Emily.

He and his wife, Diane - a neo-natal nurse at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary - went back in their family car to try to help the man.

They had no idea he was on the run after shooting two police officers who were quizzing him about the murder of Mr Minir.

Mr Godfrey left Diane in the car and approached the Peugeot alone.

The man was in the same position as before and the engine was still ticking over.

Mr Godfrey banged on the window a couple of times, but there was no response.

He said: "I didn't want to open the car door because I felt this would have been too much of an intrusion if he had just been asleep, so I knocked again, but a lot harder this time."

He noticed the man was breathing heavily and this time groaned. His body moved slightly and Mr Godfrey suddenly noticed he had a gun.

"He stirred slightly and turned his body," he said. "It was then I noticed a black pistol. It was by his right hip pointing down.

"I felt to be looking at it for a few seconds - as though I could not take in what I was seeing - and then my next instinct was to get away."

He went back to his own car and they set off to phone the police, but immediately came across a family walking along the road.

"I recognised them from school and stopped to warn them to stay away from the car," said Mr Godfrey. "They had a mobile phone and so we called the police."

Police operators told them to stay near the scene and 10 minutes later the police helicopter appeared and buzzed overhead.

A few minutes after that several police cars with armed officers inside screeched to a halt and surrounded the car.

"They kept shouting instructions at the man inside, but there was no response," said Mr Godfrey. "Armed police were covering those who were near the car.

"Eventually they called an ambulance forward."

Lawton had shot himself once in the head, but Mr Godfrey had not seen any blood.

He was taken to hospital critically ill, but died in Bradford Royal Infirmary on Tuesday lunchtime.