Glenmarie shooting was murder, says lawyer

According to the post-mortem report, at least one of the three youths was kneeling when police shot him, N Surendran tells reporters.

PETALING JAYA: It was murder in cold blood, according to a lawyer for the families of three youths whom police shot dead in Glenmarie last year.

Addressing a press conference at the PKR headquarters here, N Surendran produced a report of the post-mortem examinations on two of the youths, Syamil Hafiz Shafie, 15, and Mohd Khairul Nizam Tuah, 20.

Police shot them at close range, he said.
“The report also indicates that Syamil was shot on the forehead at a 45-degree angle,” he added. “That can only happen if the boy was kneeling when he was gunned down,” said Surendran.

The shooting happened last November. Police said they shot Syamil, Khairul and Mohd Hanafi Omar, 22, from a distance. They alleged that the three were members of a criminal gang called Geng Minyak and that the shooting occurred after they had robbed a petrol station.

The police said they shot the youths after they had tried to attack them with a parang.
Surendran rejected the police version. “Syamil had gunshot residues on his shirt,” he said. “Residue can only be transferred if shots were fired at a close range.”

He said Hairul was shot on the left side of his head.
“The police version of what transpired is not consistent with the post-mortem report, unless the police have bullets that can curve through the air.”

Surendran challenged the police to prove him wrong.
“The police are also unable to show the parang the youths allegedly used against them,” he said.

Lawyers for Liberty coordinator Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, who attended the press conference, urged Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to charge the policemen with murder.

“We have to stop this culture of impunity among policemen,” she said. “We cannot afford to lose more lives just because the police acted irresponsibly.”
Syamil’s mother, Norhafizah Mohd Razali, said she had no confidence that she would get justice.
“Why was he murdered? He was no criminal,” she said, weeping.

Hanafi’s father, army veteran Omar Abu Bakar, said he agreed with Surendran that Syamil was kneeling when police killed him.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izaah was also at the press conference. She said she would raise the subject in Parliament at its next sitting.

“We don”t want such an incident to happen again,” she said.