Officers acted in self defence against suspect, says IGP
JOHOR BARU: Police officers who shot a man who ran amok in Klang on Tuesday acted in self defence.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the motorcycle patrol unit policemen were forced to shoot as they were facing the possibility of being injured or killed by the knife-wielding man.
“It is an unfortunate incident. We are looking at this matter seriously,” he said.
According to Fuzi, after shooting the suspect, the officers helped the injured man.
“Some quarters may not be happy with the incident, but the policemen had no choice as they faced the possibility of getting hurt.
“This is the risk that our personnel face every day when carrying out their duties,” he said.
Fuzi added if possible, police would like to use less lethal weapons like Taser guns, but those weren’t in sufficient supply.
Fuzi was speaking after launching the southern zone police band at the Johor police headquarters in Johor Baru.
Present was Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd.
In the 2pm incident, a received a call saying that a man was in a fit of rage and holding a knife in front of a bank in Bukit Tinggi, Klang after reportedly failing to withdraw money from the ATM.
Police spent about 20 minutes trying to calm the man down, but he became aggressive and chased one of the officers with a knife, forcing police to fire four shots at him.
The man, who sustained two gunshot wounds in his abdomen, was rushed to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, where he is reported to be in stable condition.
South Klang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Shamsul Amar Ramli said the suspect had regained consciousness.
“He is in remand for seven days for investigation under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder,” he said.