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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Boy disputes police version of Aminul shooting

Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani and Neville Spykerman
SHAH ALAM, May 3 — Fourteen-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah did not try to ram policemen with his sister’s car but was still shot in the back of his head, his friend Azamuddin Omar, 15, who was the lone passenger in the car, said today.

Azamuddin (in black) telling his version of the incident at the press conference. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Azamuddin also told a press conference organised by Aminulrasyid’s family that his friend had been trying to flee a number of motorcyclists who were chasing the boys after their vehicle had sideswiped a car earlier.
After his friend was shot, Azamuddin said he was assaulted by policemen who kicked and punched him repeatedly. But he managed to escape from the scene.
“They shot him in the head, and his body fell onto my lap, but his foot was on the accelerator and the car was still moving.”
He said the police kept on shooting until the car hit a wall.
Azamuddin said he managed to crawl out of the car and wanted to surrender himself but he was kicked in the head and assaulted by no fewer than five policemen.
He said Aminulrasyid had picked him up in the car about midnight last Monday and they had gone to watch a football match on TV at a restaurant in Section 7, Shah Alam.
The boys were returning home when the car they were in hit another vehicle but they sped off in panic.
Azamuddin claimed several motorcyclists chased them and one hit the car from behind near a roundabout, not far from where Aminulrasyid lived.
It was at this point that police saw the car and gave chase.
“Aminul was scared and only wanted to return home because he was driving his sister’s car before police opened fire.”
Azamuddin was speaking at the press conference arranged by lawyers representing him and Aminulrasyid’s family.
He also showed reporters bruises he suffered on his right arm as a result of the assault, saying he lodged a police report last Monday night after hearing that they were being referred to as robbers.
Besides lawyers and Aminulrasyid’s family, Azamuddin was also accompanied by Monalisa Mokthar, the parent-teacher association chairman from his school.
Monalisa said Azamuddin was traumatised and was undergoing counselling.
“This will remain with him for the rest of his life.”
Earlier, Aminulrasyid’s family said they wanted the government to establish a royal commission of inquiry to investigate his death.
The 14-year-old boy’s uncle, Kamaruddin Hassan, stressed that the family rejected calls for an inquest because they did not believe they would receive a fair and transparent investigation.
“We have decided to call the government to establish a royal commission of inquiry as soon as possible and do not want it to be prolonged further.
“We would also like to call on the IGP to not release any statements which can hurt the feelings of the mother,” Kamaruddin told reporters.
Aminulrasyid was shot dead by police officers after he allegedly tried to reverse a car into them during the wee hours of the morning last Monday in the suburbs of Section 11, Shah Alam.
Lawyer N. Surendran, who is among lawyers representing the family, said the family had nowhere else to turn and that was why they were calling for a royal commission.
He lashed out at Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein for making statements calling for the public to be fair to the police and not to jump to conclusions.
“The question is not about being fair to the police but to the family.”
He pointed out that from Day One, Aminulrasyid had been labelled a criminal while IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan has made statements prejudicial to the case even before investigations were concluded.
He pointed out that there was no basis in law for an inquest to be called because there is no uncertainty as to how Aminulrasyid was killed.
He also reiterated that there was no parang in the car, which belonged to Aminulrasyid’s married sister.
“This is a very serious allegation and amounts to fabrication of evidence. The police should bear this in mind.”

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