Police shoot dead teenage thief

JAKARTA (JP): A teenager was shot dead by police during a robbery attempt on Jl. Jembatan Besi in West Jakarta on Saturday evening.

The initial police report stated Jamal, 18, was shot in the back.

"Police initially aimed for his leg. The boy must have ducked. Thus, the bullet hit him in the back," a staff member at the city police information service said on Sunday.

However, when the corpse was taken to the morgue at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, it was seen that Jamal suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the left side of his chest.

As of Sunday afternoon, no one had come to claim the body.

According to a police report, Jamal and two accomplices, armed with machetes, attempted to rob Rohani, 28, who was crossing a pedestrian walkway on Jl. Jembatan Besi. As the three suspects attempted to rob Rohani, a police car from the Tambora subprecinct approached.

The officers shot and killed Jamal while the other two suspects escaped.

The police report said the officers fired warning shots before they were forced to shoot the fleeing Jamal. (ylt)