Gr12 student shot dead in Lae shop robbery

By JUNIOR UKAHA
A GRADE 12 student who was allegedly part of a gang that robbed a shop in Lae on Tuesday was shot dead, police say.
Lae police said the student and 14 other men armed with homemade guns, knives and other weapons entered the shop at Hanta around 7am pretending to be customers and held up the staff inside.
Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jr, pictured, said the expatriate owner of the shop brought out his gun and shot the student who was also armed.
“The deceased was a grade 12 student at a secondary school in Lae,” Wagambie said.
“I will not release the name. Releasing names only encourages their notoriety and following.
“The men pretended to be early morning shoppers but pulled out guns and bush knives attacking the security guards.”
Wagambie said some of the gang members tried to force their way into the area where the cash register was.
He said that it was then that
the Asian shopowner shot the student. The gang fled after the shooting.
“From CCTV footage, police were able to identify certain suspects including one wanted for murder,” Wagambie said.