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AYAPURA: First Pvt. La Ode Alwi died after he was shot in the head and stripped of his assault rifle in front of a Cipta Jaya Mulia store in Papua on Thursday.

La Ode, assigned to the Indonesian Army’s 753rd Battalion in Nabire, died as he was medevaced to Jayapura by aircraft at 2 p.m. local time.

He was reported to be in critical condition when he was rushed to Mulia Hospital following the shooting at 9:30 a.m.

Maj. Gen. M. Erwin Syafitri, the commanding officer of the Cenderawasih Military Command, said that La Ode was on his way to his post in Kota Baru Mulia along with his colleague when they were ambushed.

A bystander, Pemerina Morip, 40, was also injured.

“I have ordered a hunt for the culprit of the ambush,” Erwin said.

According to Erwin, there have been several armed civilian groups roaming the areas around Puncak Jaya.

Two people have died in shootings in Puncak Jaya thi syear, including Kismavorit, 27, who was gunned down by an unidentified man on Jan. 20 and Papua Police First Brig. Sukarno, assigned to the provincial Mobile Brigade unit, who was shot dead in another location in Puncak Jaya.