“We demanded the National Police chief deploy a team to investigate the shooting two months ago. So far, the police have only questioned witnesses from the local police force. Nobody from the tribe was asked to testify,” tribal head Piet Rafra told council members and Mimika Police chief Adj. Snr. Comr. Godhelp C. Masnembra.
He accused the police of shooting indiscriminately during a clash between police officers and tribesmen following a brawl at the Queen bar in Kampung Kodok, Kwamki Baru subdistrict, Mimika.
Fader died at Mimika General Hospital from gunshot wounds to the abdomen.
“The case has been handled this past month without any coordination with the Kei tribe; the public wants to know the developments in the case,” Rafra said, urging the legislative council to push the police to investigate the case.
Rally coordinator Jack Rahawarin claimed Feder was killed by a Mimika Police officer.
“Police officers involved in the shooting should be punished. The suspects should be tried in an open trial,” he said.
The protesters were welcomed by council member Maimun Madya and other councilors.
But police chief Masnembra fired back that the police were slow in investigating the case because witnesses from the Kei tribe had always rejected summons for questioning.
He added he would be happy to let the National Police take over the case.
“Go tell it to the National Police over in Jakarta,” he told the protesters.
Masnembra also said one of the eight guns sent to the police laboratory for ballistics tests indicated it was the one used to shoot the victim.
“The suspected police officer has been transferred to the Papua Police for further investigations to complete the dossier,” he added.