15 year old shot dead

[buzzlie]

Friday April 30, 2010IGP lashes out at criticsKUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has lashed out at those criticising the police force over the death of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah, saying he could call his men off the streets if that was what the people wanted.“If you do not want the police to enforce the law, then say so,” he said.“Let me know so that I can tell my men to not take any action, including conducting inspections on vehicles or arresting Mat Rempits who ride without licences.“But as police officers it is our responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the public which we would not compromise on,” he told reporters after launching a blood donation drive at the National Blood Bank in conjunction with the 203rd Police Day celebrations here yesterday.He said this when asked about the statements made by various groups over the death of Aminulrasyid who was shot dead when he allegedly tried to reverse the car he was driving into policemen who had stopped the vehicle in Section 11 Shah Alam.The incident happened at about 2am after he had allegedly sped off and run through several red lights before being stopped by patrol cars.Musa added that he did not want to speculate what exactly transpired during the incident.“It happened at 2am and the vehicle was driven suspiciously. My men had no way to know if the driver was an adult or not because it was dark.“If you refuse to stop and try to drive your way through when an officer is trying to stop you, then that vehicle is considered a weapon because it poses a danger to the life of the enforcement officer,” he said.Musa asked why a person would want to run away from the police when ordered to stop.“Running away from the police will create suspicion and as law enforcers, we must ascertain why this person is running away from us,” he said.He reiterated that investigations into the matter will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner without fear or favour.More than 1,000 police officers and General Operations Force personnel from the Klang Valley took part in blood donation drive.A senator, meanwhile, has called on the Government to set up an independent inquiry on Aminulrasyid’s shooting.Dr S. Ramakrishnan, from DAP, said police officers must be more cautious when it comes to shooting suspects.“It’s important that the decision to shoot shouldn’t be made unless the police officers are sure that they are shooting at a criminal,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.An online news portal yesterday reported that Aminulrasyid’s friend who fled the scene after the fatal shooting has sought forgiveness from his mother Norsiah Mohamad, 60, for not being able to help him.She said that the boy was Aminulrasyid’s close friend and that he was also close to his family.She also said that she did not want the boy to be disturbed as he is now a witness in the case.

 

[loafer]

The kid is actually 14 if I'm not mistaken. Haven't reached his 15th birthday yet.

I still feel deeply disturbed by the IGP's reaction and comment when I read this on The Star online yesterday. Threatening to pull cops off the streets just because you're not happy with the criticism? I can't believe this guy is in-charge of the nation's police force. No wonder it's reputation is in tatters.

 

[buzzlie]

Yea agree. As an IGP he can afford to be so childish n made the foolish statement? Hmmm Malaysia Boleh.

 

[ALBundy]

I agreed the response from the IGP leaves a lot to be desired. It could probably be handled much better.

However on a separate note, I'd think the policemen are not entirely to blame more so when that kid failed to stop at police road block, and also failed to stop his car despite being chased and have his tires shot.

R.I.P to the kid.

 

[neohkw]

While I don't think anyone in the police force should be trigger happy, I do think that police personnel must hv the right to defend themselves in dangerous situation, given that they hv observed proper protocols and procedures in handling such situations (like properly identifying themselves as police etc).

“If you do not want the police to enforce the law, then say so,” he said.

“Let me know so that I can tell my men to not take any action, including conducting inspections on vehicles or arresting Mat Rempits who ride without licences.

That said, the above IGP's comments are really too much. He seemed to sound callous and threatening, even if he don't really mean that (they all say the same thing eh)? Taking the police force off the streats is like abolishing the need to even hv the police force around. Then there is really no need for an IGP post, isn't it? Really kicking himself by his own comments. Every country needs a police force, but as policemen, they must be sensitive (perhaps they r senstive, but to only a select few) to overall citizens emotional need while tough enough to tackle the crimes.The 3rd paragraph of his statements are really all we needed. Gungho comments are really not needed!

Just my view.

 

[fabianyee]

If according to the passenger's statement (read the article below), there isn't a roadblock. The cop car was chasing them. They fired a few shots. one of it burst the tire, and then one hit the dead boy's head and he slummed onto the passenger's lap before the car crashed....

Yes, the boy shouldn't have tried to outrun the law... that's stupid. Probably played too much Need For Speed...

But if we were to believe in the eyewitness' statement, the cop has no grounds to shoot into the cabin at all since it was being chased and wasn't reversing at the cops, as claimed..

The truth is out there.. IMHO, no one should end up dead in this case. The car has shot tyre, it wouldnt have gone far. A shot into the cabin is an overkill..

Keadilan untuk Aminulrasyid — Khalid Samad

29 APRIL — Pada hari Isnin 26 April, jam 4 petang, saya telah menerima panggilan dari Ustadz Nasaruddin, Pemangku Ketua Pemuda PAS kawasan Shah Alam. Dia memberitahu saya bahawa seorang remaja yang berumur 15 tahun telah ditembak mati oleh Polis di Seksyen 11 Shah Alam awal pagi tadi.

Penduduk sedang berkumpul di Surau Seksyen 11 untuk menunggu jenazahnya dan semua menyuarakan ketidak puasan hati atas tindakan Polis. Remaja berkenaan anak salah seorang ahli Qariah yang dikenali masyarakat tempatan.

Mendengar berita tersebut saya pun telah bergegas ke Surau berkenaan dan mendapati sudah ramai berkumpul di situ. Saya melihat ramai di antara mereka terdiri daripada remaja belasan tahun.

Sebahagian dari mereka menunggu di luar kawasan Surau sambil sebahagian yang lain berada di dalam kawasan Surau tersebut. Setiba sahaja saya, qamat Salat Asr telahpun didengari dan Salat hendak dimulakan. Saya mengambil wudu’ dan seterusnya menyertai jemaah. Setelah selesai salat, saya mendapatkan penjelasan dari Ustadz Nasaruddin mengenai apa yang telah berlaku.

Beberapa orang turut mendengar dan memberi penjelasan termasuk seorang penduduk yang telah menyaksikan sendiri peristiwa berkenaan kerana kereta yang dipandu arwah terbabas di hadapan rumah beliau.

Mengikut keterangan mereka, pada jam lebih kurang 1.30 pagi, beberapa das tembakan telah kedengaran di jalan 11/2. Apabila disiasat, didapati sebuah kenderaan sedang dikejar kenderaan polis.

Akhirnya kenderaan yang dikejar terbabas dan melanggar tembuk rumah dan pemandunya, Aminulrasyid Amzah, mati terkena tembakan di kepalanya. Seorang penumpang telah keluar dan berjaya melarikan diri.

Saya kemudianya membuat panggilan telefon kepada Datuk Khalid, Ketua Polis Negeri dan meminta penjelasan dari beliau. Datuk Khalid menegaskan bahawa siasatan sedang dijalankan dan anggota polis yang terbabit telah dipindahkan ke kerja-kerja pejabat.

Menurut beliau, siasatan dibuat oleh polis Negeri, bukan oleh polis Shah Alam, bagi menjamin ketelusan. Begitu juga tegas beliau, bahawa siasatan dibuat di bawah Kanun Keseksaan 302, iaitu tuduhan membunuh sebagai bukti seriusnya pihak polis ke atas kes ini.

Dalam keadaan asyik mendengar penjelasan tambahan dari mereka yang berada di Surau, tiba-tiba beberapa orang membawa seorang remaja ke hadapan saya sambil berkata kepada saya, “dia lah penumpang yang bersama arwah yang telah melepaskan diri”.

Orang semakin ramai berkumpul dikeliling saya dan memandangkan keadaan semakin bercelaru, saya menasihati remaja tersebut untuk ke tempat lain dahulu dan “stay low profile”.

Saya mengambil nombor telefon bimbitnya dan berjanji akan memanggilnya kemudian untuk bertemu dalam suasana dan keadaan yang lebih tenteram untuk mendapatkan penjelasan berhubung peristiwa berkenaan daripada beliau.

Saya berpesan supaya dia berhati-hati supaya tidak ditahan polis kerana dikhuatiri penjelasan beliau akan dipengaruhi pihak polis untuk sealiran dengan kenyataan yang telah dikeluarkan mereka.

Kenyataan yang dikeluarkan polis melalui TV dan radio, saya diberitahu, berbunyi “seorang yang disyaki penyamun ditembak polis awal pagi di Seksyen 11 Shah Alam… sebilah parang dijumpai di dalam kereta disyaki digunakan sebagai senjata untuk menyamun… suspek kedua berjaya melepaskan diri...”

Selepas Maghrib saya berhubung dengan remaja berkenaan dan kami bertemu bersama beberapa orang sahabat sebagai saksi. Remaja tersebut memberitahu bagaimana arwah telah mengambil kereta kakaknya pada lewat malam sambil semua sedang tidur dan menjemput beliau.

Mereka telah ke sebuah kedai di Seksyen 11 dan seterusnya ke Seksyen 7 setelah mendapat panggilan dari seorang rakan lain yang mengalami kerosakan motorsikal di situ. Dalam perjalanan ke tempat kerosakan tersebut, berhampiran restoran Ali’s corner, mereka tergesel dengan sebuah kereta mewah yang sedang parkir di situ.

Kemalangan ini menyebabkan arwah ketakutan dan beliau terus membawa kereta untuk melarikan diri. Pada masa yang sama mereka dapati ada motorsikal yang mengejar mereka. Apabila sampai di Seksyen 12, di jalan dari bulatan Istana Kayangan menuju Sirim, motorsikal berkenaan terlanggar kereta yang dipandu arwah di bahagian belakang dan terus terbabas.

Arwah terus membawa keretanya dengan laju dan pada ketika itu mereka telah memintas sebuah kereta peronda polis. Kereta peronda tersebut terus membunyikan sirennya dan mengejar mereka, melalui Sirim terus ke bulatan dan menuju ke Masjid Negeri, sampai ke Seksyen 9 dan kembali ke bulatan Istana Kayangan.

Dari bulatan Istana Kayangan mereka berpatah semula ke Seksyen 11 memasuki simpang berhampiran Caltex, Esso dan terus memasuki jalan 11/2. Tiba-tiba kedengaran tembakan beberapa das. Kereta terhoyang hayang disyaki tayar telah terkena tembakan. Arwah terus memandu dalam keadaan tayar ditembak sehingga tiba-tiba beliau rebah ke atas ribanya. Kereta terus menyimpang ke kiri dan terbatas melanggar tembok sebuah rumah.

Apabila di pegang kepala arwah, didapati berlumuran darah. Terasa kepala berlubang dan darah membasahi tangan dan bajunya. Remaja ini terus keluar dari kereta, terpaksa keluar dari pintu sebelah arwah, kerana pintu sebelah dirinya telah terhimpit. Terpaksa mengalih mayat arwah supaya dapat melepasi diri dengan tujuan menyerah diri. Tak sempat apa-apa, sebaik sahaja keluar beliau diterajang seorang anggota polis dan beliau terus melarikan diri.

Sambil mendengar penjelasan beliau, tiba-tiba abangnya muncul entah dari mana. Memarahi beliau kerana tidak pulang ke rumah. Apa dah jadi ini, kata abangnya, bagaimana adik saya digelar penjenayah. Kami menenangkan abangnya sambil memberitahu niat kami adalah untuk menolong adiknya.

Dia terus meminta adiknya pulang ke rumah, ayah menunggu katanya. Kami ikut sekali. Setibanya di rumah mereka, ayah dan ibunya kebinggungan. Kami menenangkan mereka dan memberitahu mereka anak mereka bukan penyamun.

Seterusnya saya membawanya bersama abangnya untuk membuat laporan polis. Jam sudah hampir pukul 10 malam. Saya ingin menentukan bahawa laporannya sama seperti ceritanya kepada saya sebelum ini. Tiada paksaan untuk mengubah ceritanya.

Selepas laporan disiapkan saya bersamanya dan abangnya bertemu pegawai yang bertugas. Saya bertanya apakah SOP untuk pihak polis menggunakan senjata api menembak orang yang disyaki.

Dia menjawab, hanya sekiranya nyawanya atau nyawa orang lain terancam.

Remaja saksi utama dibenarkan pulang ke rumah. Saya telah berhubung dengan YB Gobind Deo terlebih awal dan meminta dia mengambil kes ini. Dia berjanji akan berjumpa remaja berkenaan pada esok harinya, iaitu Selasa jam 10.30 pagi di mahkamah Shah Alam.

Selepas itu saya ke rumah arwah untuk bertemu keluarganya. Ibunya kesedihan. Abangnya kebinggungan. Bagaimana ini semua boleh berlaku. Mendengar percakapan ibunya berhubung arwah yang merupakan anak bongsunya, saya merasa sebak. Saya tak boleh bayangkan kesedihannya. Semakin ramai datang berkumpul. Saya berundur pada jam 12 tengah malam.

Esok pagi jam 9.30 pagi saya mengadakan sidang akhbar di pejabat saya. Dalam sidang akhbar tersebut saya menyatakan 3 perkara seperti berikut :-

1. Arwah bukan penyamun dan penjenayah. Warga Seksyen 11 mengenali beliau dan tidak akan menerima alasan sedemikian rupa dari mana pihak sekalipun.

2. Arwah tidak cuba melanggar anggota polis seperti yang didakwa. Arwah telah ditembak semasa memandu melarikan diri dan bukan semasa mengundur kereta untuk melanggar anggota polis. Itu satu pembohongan sepertimana juga kisah kononnya ada sebilah parang di dalam kereta.

3. Saksi yang merupakan rakan sepanjang peristiwa malang tersebut perlu diberi perlindungan dan tidak ada usaha dilakukan supaya ceritanya diubah untuk bersesuaian dengan kisah yang dilaporkan pihak polis. Saya meminta Polis bertindak secara profesional dalam kes ini dan jangan berusaha untuk melindungi anggotanya.

Shah Alam menjadi medan berlakunya pembunuhan Teoh Beng Hock sebelum ini. Malaysia juga menyaksikan sebelum ini kes Kugan yang telah mati di dalam tahanan. Norizan Salleh yang ditembak secara rambang sebanyak 5 kali tetapi masih hidup untuk menceritakan pengalaman ngerinya.

Harap jangan dilupa juga kisah Altantuya bersama bom C4. Ini semua kes-kes yang tergantung yang menjadi tanda tanya masyarakat. Entah banyak mana lagi kes yang tergantung sebegini yang tidak diketahui umum.

Apa yang pasti, kita tidak boleh membenarkan kes Aminulrasyid berkesudahan sebegitu rupa. Kita doakan semoga roh Allahyarham ditempatkan bersama orang-orang yang soleh yang beroleh rahmat. — khalidsamad.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

 

[solo]

The writer used the word "parkir." Strange for a Malaysian to use an Indonesian word.

Salut

 

[ICEMAN 68]

RIP boy .... hope there would be justice in this case ...

the policeman must be a new timer wanting to be promoted ...so just shoot larrr

 

[ramsing]

not fair to both parties if we're not there to see what actually happened. based on reports so far, anything could have happened. but i'm just wondering why shoot a car with 2 people, when they should be shooting the rempits in groups who take the law into their own hands.

 

[fabianyee]

Here's another article:

Quick-draw cops, slow-action government — The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 28 — Aminulrasyid Amzah’s death won’t be the first time the people and politicians call for action against police for being “trigger-happy”. And it won’t be the last, if the government of the day doesn’t take action.

Way back in Aug 22, 1986, schoolboy Elmi Tahir was shot and killed on his birthday while out with his girlfriend, Suzlina Nordin. Then Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang called for a Police “ombudsman” to investigate due to “conflicting stories about the incident, as well as discrepancies in the official police version,” which he said “raised anew the need for an independent inquiry into all complaints about negligence, killing and crimes”.

“The police had said that Elmi was shot during a car chase, when, as his father Tahir Salam has now clarified, Elmi was shot at point blank range after he had stopped his car. Gunpowder traces on his head showed that he was shot at close range. Elmi was shot the above the right eyebrow, the bullet coming out at the back of his head,” said Lim, who was then Tanjong MP and Kampung Kolam assemblyman.

The ombudsman idea never took off.

Thirteen years later, 29-year-old Dr Tai Eng Teck was gunned down by police at the Bandar Tasek Selatan LRT station car park on Sept 29, 1999. Police constable Tony ak Beliang was subsequently charged for the offence and convicted, but was later acquitted upon appeal.

Earlier this month on April 10, two brothers R. Logeswaran, 34, and R. Sathitanathan, 27, were shot dead in Jalan Kamunting Gardens, Taiping. Police said one of them was high on the wanted list.

On Monday, Aminulrasyid became the latest statistic and politicians from both sides of the divide want action to be taken. The Royal Malaysian Police have transferred the four policemen involved in the incident to desk duties pending an investigation.

Still, there remains no police ombudsman and the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), proposed by a Royal Commission in 2005, was eventually replaced by a Special Complaints Commission tabled in 2007. This was also later changed to the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (Siap), and passed by parliament last year.

All said and done, this only takes care of the results after an incident has taken place.

What Malaysians are interested in now is how to prevent another Elmi Tahir, Dr Tai, Logeswaran, Sathianathan and, most recently, Aminulrasyid from happening with such frequency or at all.

While it’s possible some might have been guilty of one offence or another, the heavy firepower used suggests many things.

Among them is the lack of training, and the issuing of high-powered weapons to inexperienced policemen recall the idea of a “shoot-first-ask-questions-later” policy.

This isn’t surprising considering the police announced in late February that it had cut training for new recruits, from six months to three, to allow the force to hire more policemen.

Federal police management (training) deputy director Datuk Mortadza Nazarene said the move was necessary to expedite the intake of some 60,000 policemen desperately needed to maintain peace and combat crime.

At present, the country has close to 100,000 policemen.

“Hiring more cops is part of the NKRA for the police force. This is important as we have set our targets to reduce the crime index and make the country a safe place to be at all times.

“This is also part of our strategy to enhance our role as a quality service provider,” Mortadza said.

In the 1980s and 1990s, new police recruits were required to undergo a nine-month training programme. This was then reduced to six.

Is it then any wonder that we have more shooting cases these days? The policemen in the cases of Elmi, Dr Tai and Aminulrasyid were not part of the CID but general duty policemen on patrol.

Why are they carrying high-powered guns?

And how can two police patrol cars be in the same vicinity within moments? Is it a policy to aim at drivers rather than tyres in such incidents?

Aminulrasyid was probably just a few years younger than the policemen who shot him. They were all probably frightened during the 2am incident — one at being chased by policemen, and the others feeling threatened by a car speeding at them.

We don’t know for sure. All we know is Aminulrasyid is dead. But we can’t make him just another statistic.

The police will have to come clean on this case and many others. And the government must ensure that the cops on the street know how and when to use their weapons.

Because the police are there to protect us. Not shoot us.

 

[Cipher]

I bet the kid was panic and most probably it was his first time in this kinda situation. Agreed with fabianyee, whatever happened that day, no one should end up dead. Even the police were right, shooting dead unarmed 14 year old boy is unacceptable. I just can't imagine how his family, especially his mother felt.

Al-fatihah to Aminulrasyid Amzah.

 

[buzzlie]

If it is true that the boy didnt reverse at all ... then the police has no reason at all to open fire into the cabin area.

 

[bimmerdude]

Like i said la.. police force here is like boy scout la. Not professionaly trained for situations like these where there is a fine line of judgement. Tembak dulu baru tanya.

 

[bimmerdude]

i pity the indonesians or prostitutes that jump out the window and fall to their deaths when kena raided by the Moral Police. May their souls rest in peace...

 

[fabianyee]

Like i said la.. police force here is like boy scout la. Not professionaly trained for situations like these where there is a fine line of judgement. Tembak dulu baru tanya.

From what the newspaper reported, the training duration was cut short from 9 months to 6 months and then to the current 3 months....
Wonder what they omitted from the initial 9 months training...

 

[VKS]

Some robbers deserve to get punished even if they jump or fall to their deaths..why run if they are not wrong?? They would never think the same when they rape or rob us...

Anyway back to topic, the friend of the victim now saying they overtook the police car since they have been chased by bikers...why they didnt flag down the patrol car for help? Only God knows what happened..

 

[loafer]

Like i said la.. police force here is like boy scout la. Not professionaly trained for situations like these where there is a fine line of judgement. Tembak dulu baru tanya.

Unfortunately the job description for Malaysian police has changed drastically over the years from protecting lives to "protecting certain people only".

Also I'm sure the selection process to be a police here isn't as stringent as that in other more developed countries.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos160.htm

Just a comparison, the link above is a description of police and detective work from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Apart from the job description of a police officer, take a look at the average pay a police officer in the US makes. Dollar for dollar the police officers here is no where near, which, is quite a sad fact if you ask me. Sometimes I don't blame them for doing what they do but still that can never be an excuse. There is still the fact that life expectancy of a police officer in Malaysia is higher compared to that in the US so I guess that explains why they're "decently" paid over there.

Anyway back to the topic. Latest news today it seems some people aren't happy the boy who survived the ordeal had a press conference flanked by his lawyers.

I wonder if a RCI will ever be called.

 

[blackrobe]

There is only One issue...was the policeman justified in discharging his weapon? For all purposes, I believe it is in no doubt that 2 boys aged 14/15 who were unarmed without any previous records were in no position to pose a threat. But the cops will stand by their statement and insist that the boys had reversed their car towards the police and thereby used the car as a 'weapon'. This will be the whole case in a nutshell... independant forensic evidence is required...again..

 

[bimmerdude]

Some robbers deserve to get punished even if they jump or fall to their deaths..why run if they are not wrong?? They would never think the same when they rape or rob us...

bro i was referring to the civilian prostitutes/illegal immigrants/indons who panic and run anyway they can for fear of jail/shame. It is a human natural reaction to run when get raided la. In the case of our Moral police, the way they conduct the raids... we often hear of deaths resulting. Is this a humane way? Are we animals?

 

[bimmerdude]

Wonder what they omitted from the initial 9 months training...

"How to use ur brain?"