North Sumatra Police Clarify: Medan Woman Who Died by Gunshot Was Ex-Wife of Officer

North Sumatra Regional Police (Polda Sumut) has clarified earlier information stating that a woman with the initial L, found dead at the Bumi Asri housing estate in Medan and suspected of taking her own life with a firearm, was a police officer’s wife.

In the latest clarification, Polda Sumut stated that the woman was the former wife of Brigadier IH, a police officer serving at the Medan Sunggal police station.

In the latest information provided by the Head of Public Relations of Polda Sumut, Police Grand Commissioner Ferry Walintukan, Brigadier IH and L had divorced in 2022.

“Her status is former wife, so they had already divorced,” he said on Monday (3/8).

Ferry said that L had come to the house in Bumi Asri, Medan to meet her ex-husband. The case, he added, is now being handled by the police in Medan.

“So the two are no longer husband and wife. The case is being handled by Medan Metropolitan Police,” he said.

Meanwhile, he continued, Brigadier IH remains under examination by the Professional Standards Division (Propam) of Polda Sumut in connection with the case.

“He is still being examined by Propam; we are still investigating. The former husband is still under examination,” he said.

Polda Sumut has also received the forensic laboratory results regarding the cause of L’s death. According to him, the victim died from suspected suicide using her ex-husband’s firearm.

“From our forensic laboratory results, yes, it was indeed suicide; a suicide occurred,” Ferry said.

It is known that L, a 35-year-old woman, was found dead at her parents-in-law’s house in the Bumi Asri complex in Cinta Damai sub-district, Medan Helvetia district, Medan city, on Sunday (2/8).

The incident shocked local residents. The victim is suspected of having taken her own life using a firearm belonging to her former husband, who is a member of the police force.