Police Admit to Inadvertently Shooting Satpol PP Officer

Farouk Arnaz

The National Police on Monday admitted to inadvertently shooting a Satpol PP member during an undercover drug bust in Bengkulu, Sumatra on Sunday, wounding the officer in the hand.

Members of the Bengkulu province police raided a location near the residence of the district chief’s home to apprehend a drug suspect identified as RN late on Sunday evening.

During the commotion, a Satpol PP officer guarding the district chief’s residence was shot.

“A stray bullet hit a member of the Satpol PP. There is one member of the police currently being questioned by the Bengkulu military police to see whether he had acted in accordance with procedures,” National Police Spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said.

Saud added that the raid followed the capture of a drug suspect identified as S, who told his interrogator that he bought drugs from RN; undercover policemen then tried to buy drugs from RN.

“It was agreed that the meeting between the [undercover] policeman and RN was to take place at the Suka Merindu intersection some 500 meters from the residence of the district chief,” Saud said.

But RN apparently became suspicious, and tried to escape. Police reportedly fired shots twice in the air and twice towards the suspect, but none hit him.

One of the bullet, instead, hit Satpol PP guard identified as Ramdhani, who is recovering from his wounds.