Lance-corporal Shamsul said he didn't see any shooting because he was focused on driving and didn't hear any gunfire because he was deafened by the police sirens. — Pictures by Jack Ooi
SHAH ALAM, Oct 14 — Zafrullah Ahmad Zainal Abidin who lives about 30 metres away from Aminulrasyid Amzah recounted the sounds of exploding firecrackers and police sirens splitting the early morning silence last April 26 moments before the 14-year-old crashed and died.
The 28-year-old resident of Section 11 here testified this afternoon at the Shah Alam Sessions Court. He is the first person from the public to give an eyewitness account of the events leading to Aminulrasyid’s death.
“I heard sounds like firecrackers exploding and the police siren heading in my direction,” the youth said on Day 3 of the Aminulrasyid shooting trial.
“It sounded like tat, tat-tat-tat-tat, tat,” the neighbour said in an attempt to mimic the exploding sounds.
There were more than ten such bursts at one- to two-second intervals, he related. They went on for about 20 to 30 seconds.
“It sounded like it was coming from behind me,” said Zafrullah, who was doing some work on his computer on the upper level of his double-storey bungalow in Jalan Silat Gayong 11/3A at about 1.30am April 26.
The firecracker-like sounds were interspersed with the wail of police sirens, he noted.
“It got louder as it got closer,” he added.
Twenty seconds later, he heard a loud crash.
The accused, Corporal Jenain Subi (left) walks past Aminulrasyid's sister, Nor Azura Amzah (seated right) on his way to the courtroom where he's on trial for shooting to death the 14-year-old schoolboy. - Picture by Jack Ooi
“Like some object had hit a wall,” Zafrullah said.
“After the crash, there was only the sirens,” he said.
Police patrolman, Corporal Jenain Subi, 48, is charged with killing the teen after a high-speed chase.
The offence does not amount to murder, but Jenain can be jailed up to 30 years and fined if found guilty.
Zafrullah said he only realised the firecracker-like sounds he heard earlier were gunfire after seeing the crashed car peppered with bullet marks. The rear windscreen was smashed in, he added.
The crashed car, a white Proton Iswara Aeroback, was surrounded by two police patrol cars.
Zafrullah, who turned up in the chilly court dressed warmly in a dark blue jacket, said he hurried to the second-storey window to check out the commotion but couldn’t make it out, so he went outside to the edge of the compound.
His bungalow home sits atop a hill that slopes gently down to the main road, he said.
“I saw a man running to the opposite side, towards Jalan Tarian 11/2,” he said.
“A few policemen chased after him and shouted ‘Jangan lari (Don’t run)!” he added.
He didn’t know what happened after that and decided to check out the car crash instead.
Zafrullah said it took him about three to four minutes to walk to the crash site, about 10 metres away from his gate.
Other members of the public had also surrounded the car by then, peering in but not touching the car.
The police blocked off the area with yellow tape half an hour later, Aminulrasyid's neighbour said. He added he stayed on till 3.30am.
Zafrullah recalled seeing a dead body in the car; but at that time was unaware the victim was Aminulrasyid.
Zafrullah heard the cops chase his friend's younger brother. — Picture by Jack Ooi
“I only knew it the next day. It was my friend’s brother,” he told the court.
The victim appeared to have been flung half out of the car face-down, he said.
The upper half of the body was inside while the lower half was hanging out of the open door on the driver’s side, Fazrullah said and clambered out of the witness stand to demonstrate the pose.
He buried his face into a cushioned seat, adopting a stance first shown by Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah paramedic, Muhamad Sahid Abdul Karim, the first emergency aid worker at the scene.
The Sessions Court here will be visiting the housing area where teenager Aminulrasyid Amzah crashed his car and died next Tuesday morning.
Judge Latifah Mohd Tahar directed deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to arrange the logistics for the court visit.
“We will meet in court at 9am and then convoy there,” Dusuki told reporters after the trial was adjourned for the day.
“The crime scene visit is to provide more details as described by Zafrullah,” the government lawyer added referring to the prosecution’s 15th witness.
Jenain’s defence lawyer, M.M. Athimulan had disputed parts of Zafrullah’s description on the location and distance of the latter’s home from the crime scene.
The trial’s 14th witness and a member of the police patrol unit, Lance-corporal Shamsul Kamar Ismail who testified in the morning said he did not hear any gunfire because the "sirens were too loud" to the point he could not discern those emitted from his car from those coming from the other two patrol cars.
He had also described the events of April 26 differently from his partner, constable Malkeet Singh.
Zafrullah Ahmad Zainal Abidin in conversation with one of Aminulrasyid's two sisters outside the courtroom while waiting to testify. - Picture by Jack Ooi
Malkeet had yesterday told the court he and Shamsul were the third patrol team to arrive at the crime scene and he had stepped out of the car to check on the reason for the high-speed car chase they inadvertently joined earlier.
Shamsul was manning the car, as per the police’s standard operating procedure to not leave any patrol car with the engine running unattended.
But Shamsul told the court he had approached Jenain at the crime scene and asked him if he had reported the incident to the police control room.
“Dia beritahu ‘sudah’ (He said ‘done’),” the lance-corporal related.
Shamsul said he there were three other patrolmen besides Jenain at the crash site, but he could not recollect their names and only approached Jenain whom he recognised.
He told the court he guarded the area behind the crashed car for a while before resuming patrol in his assigned area the rest of the shift, which ended at 6am.
More police personnel will be called to testify in court next Tuesday afternoon, after the site visit.
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