Sergeant's murder almost solved

JAKARTA (JP): City Police have almost completed their investigation into the shooting, last Friday, of Chief Sgt. Kamino at a low-cost apartment in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday that his office had encountered no difficulties in collecting the available information and evidence to solve the case.

"We've questioned the suspect, an alleged heroin dealer, and Kamino's colleagues." he said. "We've also questioned a resident and the apartment superintendent."

"We're just waiting for some other information and evidence before we complete the investigation."

Kamino, 37, was a member of the National Police's elite Mobile Brigade but he had been seconded to the Jakarta Police Detective Unit for the past three years.

Preliminary police investigations have revealed that Kamino, the father of a toddle, was shot in the back during a police raid at an apartment believed to be owned by a drug dealer.

The officer died at the police hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, a couple of hours after the shooting about 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Aritonang said the alleged heroin dealer, identified as Boyke, alias Brewok, 28, was arrested several minutes after the shooting in front of a shop in the apartment complex.

While Brewok was trying to flee police he shot Kamino, he said.

"It was possible if the suspect seized the gun from an officer and fired a single shot into the team of police officers and Kamino was the one wounded."

However, he declined to provide further details on the arrest of Brewok.

Aritonang said that the officers had raided the apartment on the fourth floor and arrested Boyke.

But Boyke tried to break away from Kamino and a fellow officer, who were taking the suspect to a police car, he said.

However, it remains unclear how the suspected drug dealer managed to get hold of the gun and then shoot Kamino.

"Investigations might just prove that it was not Boyke who shot Kamino," he said. "But it's incorrect to say that Kamino was shot by a colleague who fired the gun recklessly."

He was commenting on several media reports, based on information supplied by other occupants of the apartment, that said Kamino was mistakenly shot by a fellow officer, who was identified only as Sgt. Maj. Pa.

Residents at the scene told journalists on Sunday a completely different story to the police version of events surrounding the arrest of Boyke and the fatal shooting.

Some said that the suspect was arrested in his apartment, while others said Boyke was arrested at a security guard's booth near the parking lot.

They said that more than two officers chased after Boyke when he tried to flee but confirmed that the shooting took place in front of a shop, about 25 meters from the security guard's booth.

A local resident, who asked for anonymity said: "We heard that the officer was mistakenly shot by a colleague who was running behind the officer while they were chasing Boyke."

The residents also said they did not know about Boyke's possible involvement with narcotics.

Boyke was rarely involved in neighborhood activities but was quite notorious for his ill-manners, they said.

Aritonang said police had been searching for Boyke in relation to several crimes he allegedly committed, including robberies and heroin trafficking.

Police said they had arrested a woman for possessing five packages of heroin when she visited Boyke at the City Police station on Saturday.

Aritonang said the woman, identified as Lala, was arrested for attempting to smuggle the heroin into the detention center.

"She put the heroin inside a cigarette pack. She brought the heroin especially for Boyke. Maybe he is an addict."

Kamino's remains were not sent to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for a postmortem examination but taken to his hometown in Purworejo, Central Java, on Friday afternoon.

Aritonang said there was no need to take the body to the Cipto hospital because doctors at the police hospital in Kramat Jati were also qualified to do the examination.

But he did not say whether or not Kamino's body had been examined by doctors at the police hospital.

Cipto hospital and the Indonesian Red Cross Hospital in Bogor, West Java, are the only institutions which have the authority to issue a postmortem certificate. (cst)