Attempted escape turns fatal for Baisu remandee

ONE of the four Baisu jail remandees who was shot by police while trying escape from the Mt Hagen National Court premises last Friday morning has succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Mt Hagen city metropolitan commander Chief Insp Peter Roari said yesterday afternoon that Correctional Services (CS) officers from Baisu jail had transported the remandees to the courthouse for their committal court hearing.
Chief Insp Roari said that the CS officers were in the process of placing them in the small lock-up inside the courthouse when the four men tried to escape.
He said police chased the remandees for some 500m into the Bata compound where one of the remandees was shot in the leg by police.
He said police transported the injured remandee to the Mt Hagen General Hospital for medical treatment, but he died later due to loss of blood.
Chief Insp Roari identified the deceased as Ivan Wani, from Nebilyer district in the Western Highlands province. The deceased had been charged with dangerous driving causing death, and stealing.
He said that one of the escapees was also recaptured the same day while two others escaped.
He said police were now conducting an investigation into the remandee’s death to establish whether it was caused by the negligence of police.
Chief Insp Roari appealed to the relatives of the deceased to assist the police.
He said that if it was found that the death was caused by the negligence of police, whoever was responsible would not escape from facing justice.
Chief Insp Roari added that the law covered everybody, including the police.