Police shoot, kill armed man: Tokura

National

POLICE in Bougainville have shot and killed an armed man in self-defence and confiscated a high- powered firearm at Inus in North Bougainville, Police Commander and Deputy Commissioner Francis Tokura says.
Tokura said police from Buka and Tinputz stations were on patrol in two vehicles when they spotted a stolen vehicle along the Buka-Arawa highway.
He said when his officers approached the vehicle the driver came out holding a bush knife and advanced towards the officers and called out to the occupant to shoot them.
“That vehicle was stolen from Jodash Hire Cars based in Buka last month,” Tokura said.
“However, the man took out his firearm and attempted to shoot at the policemen but the officers opened fire and killed him.”
Tokura said if his men had not shot first, they would have been shot themselves.
He added that 20 rounds of live ammunition and the firearm were confiscated afterward. Tokura said the officers then returned to Buka Police Station in the back-up police vehicle with the firearms and live ammunition. They, however, left the other police vehicle from the Tinputz station behind. Tokura said the dead man’s relatives then blocked the highway at Aita Bridge but local chiefs intervened and the road-block was removed.