Matt Ratana’s suspected killer has reportedly had to be ‘revived in hospital’ and remains in a critical condition, as four sites connected to the shooting are searched by police.

The 23-year-old suspect, who allegedly shot the sergeant and himself while handcuffed, had ‘zero chance’ of being well enough to talk to detectives yesterday, sources told the Sun. 

His hospital bed is being kept under constant police guard and medics have already had to bring him back from the brink of death, according to the paper. 

It comes as police ‘painstakingly’ search four crime scenes in connection with the killing, including the custody suite where the incident unfolded at about 2.15am on Friday.

On National Police Memorial Day, tributes have continued to pour in for the much-loved sergeant, who was originally from New Zealand and a keen rugby coach. 

An officer, who said he was covering what would have been Sgt Ratana’s shift today, posted a picture of a rugby shirt on Twitter with the caption: ‘Covering #SgtMattRatana today. He’d have been day shift with us.

‘I was gonna repay him for breakfast he got me last week… after he tackled me in the suite and said “Come on XL, bring it in, you need a custody cuddle!’

He added: ‘He wasn’t just a coach to the players. He was a role model, a mentor, and often actually a father figure. We’re going to mourn him as a family member. He’s left a big hole, to be honest.’

The tributes have been given extra poignancy because today is the annual National Police Memorial Day (NPMD), honouring those who have lost their lives on duty.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who laid a wreath at the National Police Memorial in central London as part of commemorations, said she ‘hadn’t been surprised at all’ by the multiple tributes paid to Sgt Ratana.

‘Matt was an extraordinary person,’ she said. ‘(He was) a real larger-than-life character, so many people knew him. He had a wonderful personality and he was very good at his job.’

Sgt Ratana, 54, was originally from New Zealand and joined the Met in 1991. He leaves behind a partner and a grown-up son.

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