Police Commissioner Gari Baki has refuted allegations by the relatives of 25 year old man Nelson Rema from Enga and Southern Highlands who was killed in a police shooting on November 26th.
The Commissioner in a statement today said that contrary to what the media reported his cousin, the soldier who was accompanying him, Private James Beno was not shot when he gave himself up but was involved in a high chase speed at the time of the shooting.
Baki said in a brief given by the NCD Commander, Assistant Commissioner Sylvester Kalaut at about 8pm that evening the soldier’s vehicle sped through a road block that was set up by a Southern mobile squad group.
The road check was set up at the border of the Hohola and Tokarara suburbs near the main water tank area.
Police report that the vehicle driven by Mr Rema raised suspicion when the driver did not stop at the police check, but sped on, turning off its headlights.
The driver was heading towards the notorious Morata area which raised more suspicion about it possibly being a stolen vehicle.
At that time other police units were notified and set up a road block at the junction from Waigani leading onto the back road towards the Convention Centre road.
Reports say that the car stopped after it crashed into a white Toyota ten seater that had stopped ahead of the road block set up by police going into the Morata junction.
Baki says that eye witness accounts state that shots were fired before the crash, adding that unlike the reports from the relatives that they were ambushed; the driver was shot in the head and died instantly while the soldier received several gunshots to his arm while the female companion in the back seat was left unharmed.
Kalaut reports that the OIC and members of the NCD homicide squad immediately went to the scene and removed the dead body and transported it to the Port Moresby General Hospital morgue. The injured were taken to the Emergency ward for treatment at the hospital.
Caption: Police picture showing the vehicle that was shot at by police.