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Komnas HAM launches probe into fatal Semarang shooting
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has sent an investigation team to probe the fatal shooting by a police officer of a teenage student in Semarang, Central Java.
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Activists hold up posters during a protest in Surabaya, East Java, on Nov. 28, 2024 demanding a full investigation into the case of the fatal shooting by a police officer of a 17-year-old high school student in Semarang, Central Java. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has sent an investigation team to probe the fatal shooting by a police officer of a teenage student in Semarang, Central Java.
An officer with the Semarang Police reportedly shot a 17-year-old boy, identified only as GRO, while attempting to disperse a gang brawl in front of a housing complex in the western part of Semarang in the early hours of Nov. 24.
The police claimed that the officer had noticed the brawl as he was passing by the area on his way home, but he was attacked by a group of boys, forcing him to fire his weapon. GRO was taken to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Aside from GRO, two other boys were shot in the incident, a 16-year-old identified only as S and a 17-year-old identified only as A. They all are students of SMK 4 Semarang state vocational high school.
Komnas HAM commissioner Uli Parulian Sihombing confirmed that the commission had sent a team to investigate the case. However, he stopped short of disclosing the investigation results.
“The team is still in the field. We’ll disclose the results later,” Uli said, as quoted by Antara.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, commission chair Atnike Nova Sigiro regretted the incident and sent condolences to the victim’s family. She also called for a fair and transparent investigation into the case, urging the police to uphold the law impartially and ensure protection for witnesses and victims.
Atnike called for the police to adopt a humane approach in handling or dispersing teenage brawls.
The incident has also drawn the attention of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), with its member Choirul Anam calling for stricter control of officers’ use of firearms, particularly during operations involving minors.
He emphasized the need for psychological tests for officers carrying firearms and stricter enforcement of standard operating procedures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, as reported by tribunnews.com.
