Police probe killing of teen

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

A YOUNG man from the Lae City Mission at 11-Mile was stabbed to death on Monday, allegedly by off-duty security guards.

Nashon Roney, 19, from Kabwum (Morobe) and Jiwaka, was allegedly stabbed with a “Rambo knife” when a group of security guards ran amok in the mission premises.

Lae police operations commander Insp Fred Kaiwa confirmed the killing and said police were investigating.

“Three men are in police custody in relation to the killing,” Kaiwa said yesterday.

Pr Dean Peu, a layman at the City Mission, said two men were consuming alcohol in their premises when some of the mission’s youths confronted them and told them to leave as alcohol was not allowed to be consumed there. 

Peu said the pair left and later returned with a large group of about 50 men armed with sticks, stones, wire catapults and knives and started chasing some of the youths who were with him. 

“I tried to stop them but they did not listen. They went ahead and chased some of the youths and later we learnt that Roney was stabbed,” the pastor said.

Roney was rushed to the Lae International Hospital but he died along the way.

Local businessman Michael Pai, who was at the hospital, said the scene was disturbing.

“It is my first time to such a scene, the doctors and nurses were trying to pull out the knife but it was stuck up to its handle which was sticking out,” Pai said.

The victim’s uncle, Johnson Bumai, said his death has shocked the family.

“We will demand them to pay K500,000 because they have taken an innocent life,” Bumai said. 

“Nashon did not do anything wrong to them. He was in the mission’s premises when he got killed,” Bumai said. 

Meanwhile, Lae police operations commander Insp Fred Kaiwa has urged security companies operating in Lae to discipline their guards.

“Security guards are supposed to be assisting police and the public save lives and properties,” Kaiwa said.

“They are not supposed to take the law into their own hands,” he said.

Kaiwa said security officers are doing a fine job in the city by assisting police but they must not step out of line and become like police officers.

“Security companies and their management must train their guards properly,” he said.

Kaiwa also called on relatives of the deceased not to take the law into their own hands and allow police investigations to proceed.