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Reporters shot in Medan while on duty
(Illustration: Tempo
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(Illustration: Tempo.co) (Illustration: Tempo.co)
(Illustration: Tempo.co)
Three reporters have been shot in Kampung Kubur, an area known for drug transactions in Medan, North Sumatra, while covering an alleged robbery.
One reporter, Nicolas Saragih, was shot in the forehead and right cheek with pellets from an airsoft gun, while Fahrizal Ardillah was shot in the chin and Arifin Tanjung in the neck.
"We were hit by two men right after arriving in Kampung Kubur. They called us thieves and then shot us. We're journalists who cover crime," said Nicolas, who is an online journalist for Mediamedan.com, as quoted by tempo.co on Saturday.
The police are investigating the case and searching for suspects, said Medan Police spokesperson Ronny Nicolas Sidabutar, adding that a yellow pellet from an airsoft gun was found at the crime scene.
The incident began when a man filed a report at the Medan Baru Police station, claiming to have been a victim of motorcycle theft in Kampung Kubur.
Responding to the report, the three reporters went to the alleged crime scene accompanied by a police officer named Kenop Tarigan, said Ronny.
'A gunshot was heard and Nicolas and his friends were hit,' Ronny explained, adding that it was likely that an airsoft gun was used.
However, according North Sumatra Police spokesman Helfi Assegaf, the preliminary investigation indicated that the robbery report was false. It apparently was not a robbery but a case of the motorcycle being used by a friend of the man who reported the theft. (ags)
