The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya has directed the parties in the Glenmarie shooting civil lawsuit to seek an amicable settlement in the spirit of justice.

Justice Mohd Zawawi Salleh, who chaired a three-member bench, interjected and gave the directive while senior federal counsel Norliza Zulkifli was submitting on the case.

"We direct the parties to explore an amicable settlement in the spirit of fairness and justice," he said.

Justice Zawawi then gave the parties until Sept 1 to arrive on a settlement, failing which the court will make its decision.

The other judges are Justice Vernon Ong and Justice Abdul Rahman Sebli.

Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, 15, and his two friends, Mohd Hairul Nizam Tuah, 20, and Muhammad Hanafi Omar, 22, were shot dead by the police on Nov 13, 2010.

On Aug 11, 2015, Shah Alam High Court dismissed the civil lawsuit brought by the families of the three boys.

The deceased's parents Norhafizah Mad Razali (Shamil’s mother), Hamidah Kadar (Hairul’s mother) and Omar Abu Bakar (Hanifi’s father) then filed an appeal to appellate court.

Earlier Justice Zawawi and the other members of the bench questioned the federal counsel on the lack of evidence tendered in the court.

Photographs of gloves and parang, allegedly used by the three youths, were produced as evidence in court.

The sketches of crime scene without scale were also produced.

The judges questioned the lack of important evidence adduced, including the parang, crime scene photographs and CCTV footage of the robbery at a petrol station allegedly committed by the youths.

The senior federal counsel, however, claimed that during trial, lawyers for the families did not query on the evidence and insisted the burden of proof lies on the plaintiffs.

Justice Ong, however, disagreed, saying that when the police chased after the youths, whom they had alleged committed a robbery, the burden of proof had shifted to the government.

Norliza also pointed out that the youths charged aggressively at the cops by swinging their parang.

"(The question is) they were rushing toward the police. How could it (bullet wounds) be 45 degree downwards?" asked Justice Abdul Rahman.

Both Shamil and Hairul were shot once in the head and once in the chest, while Hanafi was shot three times - twice in the head and once in the chest. All the bullet entries were 45 degree downwards.

The families insisted that the cops killed the youngsters execution style.

Police claimed that the trio were "seasoned criminals" who robbed a petrol station and were shot following a high-speed chase in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.

They were said to have charged at police with machetes when they were cornered, leading to the police shooting at them.

Clear youths' reputation as robbers 

A total of 11 defendants were named in the suit, including the three cops, inspector Azrin Ezahar, corporal Kamarul Zaman Awang and lance corporal Khairul Azahar Jali, who had allegedly shot the youths.

The families also named lance corporal Mohd Juhaimi Jasmin, lance corporal Mohd Aminuddin Affendi Azmi, constable Halfiz Ibrahim, constable Nafis Akmal Ismail, Shah Alam district police chief, the Selangor state chief, the inspector-general of police and the government as defendants.

They were sued for misfeasance in public office, with willful and intentional action of causing injury.

The families were represented by lawyers N Surendran and Latheefa Koya.

In his submission, Surendran claimed that the High Court judge had erroneously rejected the government doctors' post-mortem reports, went on to believe the respondents' version of the events which was riddled with improbabilities, and subsequently dismissed the appellants' claim.

Following the Court of Appeal's directive for settlement, he requested that the youths' reputation as robbers be cleared.

"This is important as they came out in the newspapers as robbers and gang minyak. This has caused a lot of pain to the families," said Surendran when met outside the courtroom.

"I will write to the attorney-general after taking instructions from the families as to what kind of settlement they are looking at," he said.