East Java Police Evaluate Police Members Who Shoot Dead Begals In Sumenep

SURABAYA - The East Java Regional Police responded to the heaviness of the spotlight regarding Sumenep Police officers shooting dead at close range, local residents suspected of being motorbike robbers. The East Java Police are forming a special team to evaluate the shooting.

"Yes, it happened on Sunday. Later the team will evaluate the shooting," said Head of Public Relations of the East Java Police, Kombes Dirmanto, Tuesday, March 15.

Dirmanto confirmed that the shooting was carried out by members of the Sumenep Police. The shooting was recorded by local residents, and the video went viral on WhatsApp groups.

In the video, a number of plainclothes police officers can be seen shooting a man wearing a black helmet and carrying a sharp knife.

Several police officers tried to immobilize the man by firing hot bullets several times. Even when the man had fallen, the police continued to shoot at close range, until the man died at the scene.

The man who was shot was identified as Herman, a resident of East Polay Hamlet, East Gadu Village, Ganding District, Sumenep Regency, it was suspected that he wanted to attack the police with a sickle.

"Herman did not heed the police's advice, so there was a measurable action to be taken. He died on the way to the hospital," said Sumenep Police Public Relations Section Head AKP Widiarti.

Meanwhile, Herman's uncle, Abdul Jalil, explained that his nephew looked stressed the past week. He himself did not know for sure what caused Herman to become stressed.

However, Abdul admitted that Herman often carried a sickle because he was also influenced by alcoholic beverages.

"He was advised not to wander off, but he still wandered around carrying a sickle," said Jalil.