5 killed in 30-minute running gun battle with cops

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

5 killed in 30-minute running gun battle with cops

PORT MORESBY: Five gunmen were killed in a 30-minute gun battle with the police in Alotau on Friday (April 22, 2022), commander Supt Peter Barkie says.

“Two of them fired at the police with automatic guns and we were forced to return fire,” he added.

Barkie said he could not confirm whether the five young men were remnants of the Tommy Baker Gang but “they are armed criminals”.

The news update was published by The National:

Five killed in gun battle

April 27, 2022The NationalMain Stories

FIVE gunmen were killed in a 30-minute gun battle with the police in Alotau on Friday, commander Superintendent Peter Barkie says.
“Two of them fired at the police with automatic machine guns and we were forced to return fire,” he said.
Barkie said he could not confirm whether the five young men were remnants of the Tommy Baker Gang but “they are armed criminals”.
He said reports of criminal activities rose in the province in the last two months that included armed robbery and burglary.
“We then heard there was a group camping out on the mountains at the back of the (Rossell) Dobu Compound,” he said.
“We sent word to community leaders to call their sons to return home.
“I even went on air (Milne Bay NBC radio) calling on the young men to refrain from doing what they were doing and to return to their homes but they did not listen.
“Police then conducted a dawn operation by hiking up the mountain.
A Dobu compound community leader, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, said there were 10 youths making fresh brewed beer on Koida Mountain.
One of the five who escaped from the police dragnet told The National: “On Friday night, we went up to the Koida River to drink and make fresh homebrewed beer.
“Two of our friends left around 3am and went down to the compound.
“We were drunk and some of our friends where asleep.
“We made a camp fire and continued drinking whilst waiting for them.
“Around 5am, we heard people walking up, so we thought our other friends had come up again.
“I stood up and went to relieve myself (urinate).
“Doboro and two other boys were at the boiler, Kawas, Bebesie, Wagu were asleep near the river bank.
“In the next few minutes, I heard gunshots. My friends could not even run for cover, as three were drunk and asleep and the rest of us were drunk. They just kept shooting at us.
“Me and my other two friends managed to run away because we had a torch. We ran down to Dobu compound.
“When I was about to climb up the hill, one of the policemen shot me on my leg but I kept running.
“Then, I was shot on my buttocks and I fell into the garden and hid and watched as they kicked my friends’ dead bodies and took photos of them.”
The community leader said the five men who were shot were aged between 20 and 25.
Two were married and had a baby each.
“Kawas was shot on the head, Jokim on his back and leg, Bebesi on his stomach, thigh and legs, Doboro on his legs and chest and Wagu on his chest and legs.
“These boys were employed by Mecca 44 Ltd, ABC Construction and Alotau 4 cargo boat. After the five were shot, we were told to go up and get our pigs,” he said.
The community leader said that there were two sides to the story and someone needed to break the silence as they had already lost too many young men.

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