KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — The families of three young men shot dead last November 13 on suspicion of robbing a petrol station claimed that the trio were killed by police in cold blood, their lawyer said today.
Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, 15, Hairul Nizam Tuah, 20, and Mohd Hanafi Omar, 22, died in the police shooting after a reported high-speed car chase in the early hours of the morning of November 13, 2010, in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.
“Shots were fired to kill these three individuals contrary to what police have said,” lawyer N. Surendran (picture) told reporters here.
“Police said the three youths had attacked the police with machetes and therefore the police had to open fire on the three, killing all three.
“If the reason is to stop, why shoot to the head and chest?” Surendran asked.
“For Shamil, one shot was fired in the middle of the forehead at a 45-degree angle from above, and one shot to the chest. For Hairul, one shot was fired to the head and one to the chest. For Hanafi, two shots were fired through his cheeks and one to the chest,” he said.
Surendran said if the police really wanted to stop the youths from attacking them, one shot in the arm or the leg would have stopped them.
“Two shots to the head and one to the chest, are they trying to stop a human being or a 600-pound gorilla?” asked the human rights lawyer, who is a PKR vice-president.
This morning, lawyers representing the families presented the final post-mortem report at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters and subsequently lodged a report for further investigation into the incident.
“The mother of Shamil made another police report on the incident. Before this we have exposed two post-mortem reports but one we didn’t get. Now, we have the last for Hanafi,” Surendran said.
He claimed that the police have committed various criminal offences in this case.
“We want an investigation… Firstly, murder investigation. All the officers involved in the shooting must be investigated for the offence of murder and nothing less than that.
“Secondly, those higher police officers like Datuk Thaiveegan who issued the statement saying they tried to attack them (the police) with machetes must be investigated for giving false information regarding an offence. That itself is a criminal offence under sections 201 and 203, giving false information,” said Surendran.
The lawyer also said the policemen involved in the case should be investigated under section 218 of the Penal Code for writing false reports of what had happened.
“I think the most important question we want to ask here is, is there a shoot-to-kill policy within the police department?
“If there is, there must be an investigation immediately on criminal conspiracy in the police department to carry out this kind of act, which is shooting to kill,” he said.
Surendran said that in 2001, five people were shot dead by the police. In 2008, 82 people were killed. In 2009, 88 people died in police shootings.
The trio’s death came nearly seven months after 14-year-old schoolboy Aminulrasyid Amzah was shot after a high-speed police car chase in Shah Alam in the early hours of April 26, 2010.
Corporal Jenain Subi was the sole policeman charged for the incident and faces up to 30 years’ jail plus a fine if convicted.
By Lisa J. Ariffin, 11 August 2011
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