Durian Tunggal police shooting: Post-mortem indicates suspects executed at close range

The post-mortem reports of three individuals killed in a police shooting in Durian Tunggal, Malacca, on Nov 24 last year showed that two of them were shot in the head, while another was shot in the chest from close range with a downward bullet trajectory.

Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, representing the families of the individuals involved, said the post-mortem report showed one of them was shot directly in the forehead, with the bullet penetrating through the lower right back of the head.

Another, he said, was shot in the upper left cheek with the bullet penetrating the lower back of the victim's body, while the third had two gunshot wounds to the chest, showing a bullet trajectory that penetrated through the back of the body.

He said the post-mortem report also found soot in the area of the gunshot wound scars.

"That means that the distance between the gun and the wound is very, very small... we are talking about a distance within an estimated (few) centimetres," Rajesh said during a press conference at the Lawyers for Liberty office in Petaling Jaya today.

Rajesh also claimed that the post-mortem reports do not indicate that the shooting of the trio could be justified on the grounds of self-defence.

"This is murder," he further claimed.

Disputed versions of event

Malacca police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar had previously claimed that three criminals aged between 24 and 29 were shot dead after one of them used a machete and slashed at a police officer in an oil palm plantation in Durian Tunggal.

The 4.30am incident allegedly caused the police officer, who holds the rank of corporal and is in his early 30s, to be severely injured on his left arm.

However, this version of events was disputed after an alleged recording of the incident, from a phone call made by one of the slain suspects, indicated the trio was instead killed in cold blood.

The autopsy findings appear to support this version of events.

Rajesh revealed today that the police failed to cooperate and refused to hand over the post-mortem reports of the three victims involved.

"The families were forced to pay RM3,000 to obtain the post-mortem reports from Melaka Hospital, even though the police already had copies of the reports," he said.

In light of the post-mortem findings, Rajesh said the families of the three shooting victims demand that all police officers involved be detained and remanded on murder charges.

The families also urged strict action to be taken against the Malacca police leadership and anyone responsible for attempting to "hide the truth".

They also demanded an explanation from the prime minister, the inspector-general of police, and the attorney-general for the delay in taking investigative action on the case.

Threaten to expose names

Activist Arun Dorasamy, at the same press conference, stressed that if the authorities do not take follow-up action against the individuals involved, he would not hesitate to publish the names and photos of eight individuals believed to be involved in the incident.

He claimed that ample evidence had been submitted, yet action against those involved had not been taken.

He also claimed that the three individuals who were shot dead were "executed".

"As for who is involved, I have already submitted that list to the special task force.

"If there is no action, I will expose the photos of the suspects.

"The police narrative (claiming they) were forced to act because they were in a dangerous situation makes no sense," he said.

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