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South Sumatra Police Open Fire on Car During Traffic Stop, Kill Mother of Four

Four others, ages 3 to 35, were also injured in the shooting.
Photo by Lubuklinggau Police

Police in Lubuklinggau, South Sumatra, opened fire on a family of seven reportedly attempting to avoid a traffic checkpoint on Tuesday, killing a 55-year-old mother of four in a shocking instance of violence one public official called "embarrassing," and "careless."

The police shooting occurred at a traffic checkpoint at Lubuklinggau, a small city at the border of Bengkulu province. The officers were reportedly looking for stolen cars when a black Honda City sedan reportedly refused to stop. Police opened fire, shooting the vehicle ten times after squeezing off what officers called a "warning shot."

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Surini, 55, suffered multiple fatal gunshot wounds. Her four children, ages 29-35, were shot. Her 3-year-old grandson was also injured in the shooting. The family was reportedly heading from Bengkulu toward the airport in Lubuklinggau. The local police commissioner, a man named Hajat Mabrur, has claimed that his officers were aiming for the tires, and that the family was hit by ricochets off the car's tires.

But images of the vehicle shared by local media show the car's trunk and rear window pockmarked by bullets. The rear seat was covered in large blood stains and bullet holes.

The police commissioner later apologized to the family and promised to punish those involved. He said the police department would cover all medical and burial costs.

"Currently we are investigating one of our officers," Commissioner Hajat Mabrur told local media. "If it's proven that he violated the code of ethics then, of course, he will be punished."

Indonesian ombudsman Amzulian Rifai, a Lubuklinggau native, said the shooting only hurt people's trust in the police. "We hope the South Sumatra Police chief will come down on the officers who acted like wild cowboys, taking people's lives without just cause," he told local media.

"This is really embarrassing," Amzulian said. "The police fired on a vehicle filled with children and their parents simply because they tried to avoid a traffic checkpoint in town."

The vice chief of the National Police, Comr. Gen. Syafruddin, said the shooting will be investigated by internal affairs (Propam). The vice chief was reluctant to tell reporters whether the officers will face sanctions, explaining that he wanted to see the results of the Propam investigation first. But if the officers were found guilty of violating police procedures, his office was ready to pass down stern sanctions, he said.

"The police institution will impose serious punishments on officers who commit wrongdoing," Comr. Gen. Syafruddin told local media.