Family, Friends Of 5 Men Killed In Shootout With Cops Cause Ruckus

 

(NST) – “I am not accepting the accusation that my relative was linked to the underworld. How can they just shoot a person without bringing him to court? This is unacceptable.” 

The relatives and friends of the five men killed in a shootout with police created a commotion at the Penang Hospital mortuary yesterday.

Emotions ran high when the family members claimed they were unaware that those gunned down were involved in secret society activities.

Some of them vented their anger by hurling helmets into the mortuary compound and hurled accusations at the police, including one who said the five had been shot “like animals”.

One of them, S. Nadarajah, said he would lodge a report against the police over the raid.

“I am not accepting the accusation that my relative was linked to the underworld.

“How can they just shoot a person without bringing him to court? This is unacceptable.” 

Nadarajah and family members of the other killed gang members said they would not claim the bodies and demanded that a second post-mortem be carried out.

Some of the disgruntled relatives of the dead men also took the police to task for allegedly being brutal and for being “trigger happy”.

Lawyer and DAP assemblyman for Seri Delima R.S.N. Rayer also joined in and described the shootout as a “brutal slaying”.

“The police should not have taken the law into their own hands.

“The five men should have been detained and charged in court over their alleged wrongdoings. 

“I was shocked as some relatives of the deceased claimed the bodies had more than one gunshot wound in the head,” Rayer said when met at the mortuary.

He said there had been many incidents where Indian community members were shot dead but their cases were swept under the carpet by the police.

Rayer demanded that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar explain why two of the deceased, who did not have any previous criminal convictions, were also shot dead in the incident.

Meanwhile, many residents staying in the units on the same floor of the apartment rented by the gang members were unaware of the police raid.

One of them, who declined to be named, said she was shocked to find many reporters and photographers at the unit that was raided by an elite team of policemen.

“I am glad, however, that the police carried out their job responsibly without causing any trouble to the other residents on the same floor.” 

Checks with the guards manning the entrance to the apartment complex showed they were also unaware of anything before the shootout.

One of them said he only came to know about the police presence after several patrol cars and a Black Maria arrived at the apartment and when some of them left slightly before dawn.

“I do not know when the police arrived.

“I only knew of their presence when the police vehicles arrived and when many of the policemen, in dark uniforms and carrying guns, left the building about 5.30am.”