Bystander shot as cops open fire on amok

Surentiran in his hospital bed. With him is Vasantha Kumar.

PETALING JAYA, May 10 — A government labourer suffered chest injuries from a stray bullet when police fired on an amok armed with a knife in Kuala Selangor last night, making it the third such shooting case in as many weeks. S. Surentiran, 21, a JKR labourer, was critically injured as two policemen fired in self-defence at a former army commando who tried to attack them with a “Rambo knife”.
Surentiran’s brother, S. Sures, 24, filed a report at the Kota Damansara police station here at 3.35pm, claiming the policemen fired with no regard for public safety while apprehending their suspect.
A total of four shots, including one warning shot, were fired by the police during the incident that took place in Kampung Pokok Pauh, Kampung Kuantan at about 7pm, according to the police report.
Lawyer K. Vasantha Kumar, representing Surentiran’s family, urged the police to take more care in discharging their weapons.
“They (the police) should have handled the problem more carefully and not shoot indiscriminately as there were onlookers around,” he said.
He also said the police should have tried using other non-lethal ways such as pepper spray to apprehend the crazed man.
Vasantha Kumar, who is also adviser to the PKR-backed Malaysian Indian Voice (Hindraf My-Voice) NGO, said he wants a domestic enquiry to be carried out into the shooting.
“We want a clear and transparent enquiry... so the public can know (the truth of) what happened.
“To that end, we will hand a memorandum to Bukit Aman tomorrow at 3pm urging [the police to carry out] a domestic enquiry,” he said.
He added that Hindraf My-Voice was going to ask Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to resign for what he claimed was the IGP’s inaction following repeated incidents of wrongful shooting.
“There have been many deaths caused by the police this past month,” he said.
He cited the recent police shootings of Aminulrasyid Amzah and Mohamad Azizi Aziz as examples of police negligence.
On April 26, schoolboy Aminulrasyid was shot dead after a 6km chase in Shah Alam, Selangor, 17-year-old trader Mohamad Azizi was shot in the hip while racing away from police in Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan last Saturday.
“What is happening with the police force... we don’t know,” Vasantha Kumar said.
“The IGP is getting weaker [in his ability] to control police integrity. We call on him to resign.”
Surentiran is currently warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital, where he is reported to be in stable condition.
The suspect, who was shot in the leg and stomach, is also warded in the same hospital.
He had earlier escaped from a mental institute where he was undergoing psychiatric treatment before making his way back to his home in Kampung Pokok Pauh.
Kuala Selangor OCPD Supt Mohd Taib Ahmad confirmed the incident took place. - The Malaysian Insider