Youths shot, two dead

By JIMMY KALEBE
TWO youths were shot dead and another is in hospital after an attempted break-in at the home of an expatriate man and his family in Lae on Monday, says a senior police official.
Lae metropolitan police commander Chief Superintendent Chris Kunyanban said the youths were between 15 and 17 years of age and had tried to rob the family when the man shot and killed two of the suspects and wounded another in the neck while two others escaped.
“The criminals jumped over the fence and into the residence. They then distracted the dogs while the others progressed to the main door and tried to open it using a pinch bar,” he said.
Kunyanban said the man’s wife saw what was happening and alerted her husband as the criminals entered the home and tried to attack them.
The man, who has a licensed firearm (hand gun), discharged multiple shots at the suspects who were also armed.
“The first criminal was shot dead in the house while the other one was shot, but managed to make it out of the house before dying outside.
The third suspect was shot in the neck but escaped and went to Angau General Hospital for medical assistance.”
He said the other two accomplices fled the residence when the first youth was killed, leaving behind home-made guns, pinch bars and wire-catapults.
Kunyanban said with a bout of prolonged wet weather in the city, criminals were targeting homes and businesses to rob as the rain would mask the breaking in.
Police have cautioned city residents to be alert and take precautions when travelling and at home and to secure their businesses and property.