Policeman accused of killing 2

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NCD Homicide officers checking the body of one of the men who was shot at Garden Hills in Port Moresby on Saturday night. – Nationalpics by KENNEDY BANI

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
A POLICEMAN allegedly shot dead two men at point blank range after a fight broke out over the theft of a portable speaker (boom box) in Port Moresby on Saturday evening.
Another two men were injured, a house was burned down and another house was looted and its occupants forced to flee to Garden Hills during the fight.
The two men shot dead were from Eastern Highlands’ Okapa.
Relatives and friends of the two men (uncle and nephew) condemned the actions of the policeman who they alleged had been disrupting the lives of the settlers by destroying their markets when intoxicated.
According to the families’ spokesman Jack Amos, the two men were not part of the fight or the actions taken by others.
“They were sitting atop the hill at home when the policeman walked up and shot them,” he said, calling on the police to charge the policeman immediately.
“This was not the first time this policeman had confronted the settlers who use the roadside as their market space.
“He has done this many times,” he said.
The National was on site at 7am yesterday and was told that the markets were destroyed on Friday by the policeman who was allegedly intoxicated.
On Saturday evening, a boom box was stolen and a youth from Chimbu was accused of taking the boom box.
There was a fight and when the mother defended her son, she was assaulted.
The policeman, according to witnesses, then fired several warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd.
However, the public still angry with the policeman, on Friday evening, started throwing stones and whatever they could get their hands on.
The policeman with the support of a local security firm, responded and tried to control the situation, several shots were fired with the road out of Garden Hills blocked.
According to witnesses, the policeman allegedly left the roadside and walked a short distance up the hill near the fenced area and shot the two men.

Settlers removing a burnt vehicle from the road at Garden Hills in Port Moresby yesterday. – Nationalpics by KENNEDY BANI

Both men died on the spot and a woman was injured when a bullet penetrated the wall and hit her.
Both bodies were taken to the Boroko Police Station by their relatives, but police did not respond.
The bodies were then taken back to their home, with family, relatives and neighbours blocking off the road access to the residents and waited for the police.
Police arrived yesterday morning and addressed the angry crowd.
The policeman is now under investigation by the Boroko Crime Investigation Department detectives who were at crime scene.
Both bodies were examined by police and taken to the mortuary by their relatives.
Settler Marie Threse said the incident caused tension to rise high on Saturday evening and “we prayed for calm and guarded our properties”.
“This is not the first time this has happened.
“Something has to be done to stop this,” she added.
National Capital District (NCD) police said they were investigating with NCD Internal Affairs to take control of the probe into the actions taken by the policeman.