Officer to be tried over wrongful shooting

JAKARTA (JP): A court-martial is awaiting a police officer who wrongfully shot an innocent man to death on Jl. Raya Semanan in Kalideres, West Jakarta, last Wednesday.

City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam said on Wednesday that internal affairs investigating the shooting had concluded that Brig. Pambudi, an officer of the West Jakarta Police SWAT team, had wrongfully shot Cengkareng resident Yudianto, 31, in the back of the head.

"Yudianto was not the bank robber that West Jakarta Police was looking for. As a City Police spokesman, I convey my sincere apologies and condolences to Yudianto's family," Anton told reporters at City Police headquarters on Wednesday.

"All necessary action will be taken towards Brig. Pambudi, and Brig. Taufik, the second officer who is being questioned over the case. Taufik was present at the crime scene as well."

Anton's statement however left many alarming questions unanswered over what really happened at 4 a.m. on Feb. 28, and why Yudianto was gunned down.

Anton failed to answer why Yudianto was shot in the head, instead of the leg, as police procedures dictate, and why his body was badly bruised and beaten at the time of his death, as witnesses saw that prior to Yudianto's body being driven to the National Police's Kramat Jati Hospital following the shooting, there were no bruises on his body.

The spokesman identified the arrested and suspected bank robber as Ashari, 32, who allegedly pointed out Yudianto as one of his robber mates, to the police, which ultimately led to the shooting.

In the dossiers, Ashari said he saw Pambudi shot Yudianto twice from close range, even though the latter never once laid a hand at the officer.

Ashari admitted to have robbed a bank customer on Feb. 15 on Jl. Raya Ciputat in South Jakarta of Rp 74 million along with his five friends before West Jakarta Police detectives arrested him at his rented residence on Jl. Abdul Wahab in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, at 1 a.m. on Feb. 28.

That day, Ashari said, six detectives put him into a blue Toyota Kijang van and asked him to show them the residences of his five other bank robber friends, including Robby's, who were their next target. (ylt)