Surrendering Robber shot by Cops

In one of my articles, I expressed my frustrating view on how a cop shot a harmless, fleeing offender in the head, just to stop him from escaping. I argued that the cops should have shot him in the legs if they wish to stop the offender, or better still, to get out of the vehicle and chase the offender.

Another incident happened over the weekend, prompting me to express my views again. 

Augustine and some other boys help up a PMV in Lae, near Kamkumg. Some of the passengers recognised Augustine, and told him that they won’t report him to the police if he and his boys let them go. So Augustine attempted to stop the boys but he was too late. One of the boys had already shot a revolting passenger in the leg.

   Realising that his identity was known, Augustine returned home and confessed everything to his family and relatives. They responded by tying his hands and legs together, and belted him up. He sustained a left peri-orbital hematoma (black eye) in the process.

   Then the cops arrived. One trigger-happy cop went straight to him, put his ankles together and fired from the right side. The bullet went in through and through: into the right ankle, out again and into the left, eventually exiting the left side of the left ankle.

   Then they forced him to walk to the police car and climb into it. On the way to the hospital, they repeatedly bashed him. 

Don’t get me wrong. Augustine deserved to be punished for his wrongdoing, according to the laws of the land. Yet, I don’t understand why the cops should shoot him in the legs when they already know that his legs and hands are tied, and he cannot escape.

    Logic tells me that it is illegal to shoot a surrendering offender. During wars, soldiers are not allowed to shoot civilians, even if they are amongst the enemies. They shoot only the targets that pose a threat to their safety.

   In PNG, all offenders deserve a bullet from the cops. Especially when the cops see that the offender is unlikely to take them to court. Something is still not right in the heads of most of these cops.

   How will the escalating law and order situation in PNG be settled when the disciplinary force personnel themselves are not disciplined?

   I guess the attitudes need to be changed!