Missing Pieces in a Puzzling Police Shooting That Kills One Officer

TheIndonesia.id - The Indonesian Police has yet to name any suspect in a recent shooting incident that killed a police officer in Duren Tiga, South Jakarta.

Victim Nopryansah Yosua Hutabarat, or Brig. J, was fatally shot by Bharada E at the residence of Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo on Friday, July 8, at about 5.00 p.m. local time.

Three days later, the National Police (Polri) confirmed that Bharada E shot Brig. J because J allegedly harassed Sambo’s wife Putri Candrawathi.

Prior to the shooting, J had been assigned as chauffeur for Candrawathi while E acted as Sambo’s aide.

“Based on statements and evidences at the site, Brig. J entered the room of [Sambo] and harassed his wife at gunpoint,” Polri’s spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ahmad Ramadhan said in a statement on Monday, July 11.

Upon hearing Candrawathi’s scream, E immediately went to the room where he found J, who panicked and tried to shoot E seven times. E reportedly returned fire and shot J five times.

Based on police’s information, Sambo wasn’t at home when the incident took place.

The case has received a great deal of attention because the public find many “holes” in the story told by the police.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD even warned the police to provide clarity to the public.

“This case can’t be let running uncontrollably because there are some anomalies arising from the handling by and confirmation from Polri – the causality in each event is not clear,” Mahfud said on Wednesday, July 13.

As a response to the public outcry, chief of Polri Gen. Pol. Listyo Sigit Prabowo decided to establish a special team for the handling of this case.

The police is also involving National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) to oversee the case proceedings.

“We surely expect the investigation to be transparent and objective, especially since the case involves our members. We want everything to be clear,” Prabowo said on Tuesday, July 12.

And on Monday, July 18, the suspension of Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo was announced.

“We’ve been hearing speculations, and they surely will affect the ongoing investigation. Therefore, this evening, we decided to temporarily suspend Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo,” Prabowo announced.

It was reported that wounds and injuries were found on the body of Brig. J, as revealed by the late-police-officer’s lawyer Kamarudin Simanjuntak.

Among them were cuts on leg and arm, dislocated jaw, and broken finger – in addition to the gunshot wounds.

Simanjuntak also revealed that Brig. J’s phone went missing and his family members’ phones were hacked after the incident.

He said he’d gathered evidences and witnesses that can proof the killing was premeditated.