COMMUNITY CALLS FOR JUSTICE FOLLOWING SHOOTING INCIDENT

By Josu Kim- FM100 News

In what has been described as the first recorded case of police brutality in the local community, leaders and members of Tangara Council Ward 27 in the Wewak Rural LLG of Wewak District in East Sepik Province are appealing at the same time taking legal action for investigation into the shooting and killing of a male youth on the 3rd of July 2019 along the Wewak Dagua Coastal Highway.

Community leader Francis Warren told FM100 News that the youth who lives with his grandmother along the highway was on his way back home from his father’s place at Tangara when he was approached by two police vehicles, with the first one said to have blocked off the youth while the second one came up from behind firing four warning shots before the fifth shot allegedly hit the youth, despite having his hands raised to surrender.

The community alleges that the youth was unharmed at the time and fell victim to the actions of another youth who was drunk and was chased by police along the highway.

FM100 News understands that the relatives of the deceased, late Josiah Tuosaho, 24, of Yangoru Saussia and Wewak origin have signed a petition which was handed over to the East Sepik Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Albert Beli for an independent investigation to establish the reasons and the officer who was responsible for the shooting.

Mr Warren says PPC Beli has personally assured them of the action to be taken and the family at the moment are awaiting the report of the post mortem which was carried out for them to present together with the witnesses statements to the coroner’s inquest.

The coroner’s inquest will then determine the strength of the evidences to find if there is credible evidence for the coroner to direct the Officer in Charge of the investigation through the office of the PPC to make arrests of the suspects.

Picture: Grieving relatives and friends of the deceased youth shot dead by police personnel on the 3rd of July 2019.