A family's anguish

Norsiah Mohammad 61 during her press conference regarding her son shoot death by policeman.. SUNpix : Kamariduan Mohd Nor

SHAH ALAM (April 27, 2010): The only "crime" a 15-year-old student Aminulrasyid Amzah committed which cost him his life was to drive his sister's car without a driving licence.

His family is shocked not just over the way he was killed but how he had been portrayed as a hardcore criminal by police who shot him the end of a high-speed chase near his house at Section 2 yesterday morning. Aminul died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Aminulrasyid Amzah

At a press conference at her double-storey corner house today, his mother Norsiah Mohammad, 60, said her youngest child was a bubbly teenager who loved and excelled in sports.

"How could he possibly be a criminal. Look at his photo. He was active in co-curricular activities in school especially sports and took part in many religious events. He was a good son. I know my son well. How could the police shoot him for just driving without a licence. We want to know the truth and we want action taken against those responsible for his death," she told a press conference.

Norsiah said the family was unaware Aminul, the youngest of eight siblings, left his house on Jalan 2/1G without their knowledge about midnight in his sister Tuty Shaninza Anon's Proton Iswara. They later learnt that Aminul had fetched his classmate and both of them had gone to a restaurant at Section 7 to watch a football match on TV.

Aminul's uncle, Kamaruddin Hassan who is Umno Federal Territory's working committee secretary, said at about 1.30am the teenagers were returning home when Aminul grazed another car and sped off. He said a motorcyclist believed to be a friend of the motorist gave chase.

He said when Aminul stopped at a junction, the motorcyclist crashed into the rear of the car and fell. Kamaruddin said a passing patrol car saw the incident and gave chase. During the the high-speed chase, which was joined by another patrol car, the policemen shot out the Iswara's tyres of the Iswara.

He said about 100m from the house, the car came to a stop after crashing into a tree and a concrete wall opposite a bungalow with the front wheels lodged in a drain. Kamaruddin said he learnt this is where the policemen stepped out and opened fire, killing Aminul. His classmate fled the scene and called his family.

Norsiah Mohammad 61 during her press conference regarding her
son shoot death by policeman..SUNpix : Kamariduan Mohd Nor

"They are teenagers who panicked in the situation. Why did the police have to open fire without checking?" Kamaruddin asked.

Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar was quoted as saying that police found a parang in the car. Tuty's husband, businessman Muzafar Mahali, 36, said police called his house in Klang at about 3am yesterday and asked if the car belonged to him. When he asked the reason, they said it was involved in a "case". He then called his wife who was at her mother's. At about 11am, the family was told to go to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang, to identify Aminul's body.

"We were stunned. One moment I saw my brother all smiles and laughter and then next thing he is dead. The car was my husband's and I was using it. How can the police say there was a parang in it? Why would I be carrying a parang? There was only an umbrella, and no weapons," said Tuty.

Tuty's father Amzah Che Mat, a former army officer and a retired operations director of a logistics company, died in 2004. Aminul is the nephew of Maybank Berhad CEO Datuk Johar Che Mat. Aminul's friend is believed to be the son of a policeman. Also present at the press conference was Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar, who is Selangor Umno chief, Puchong MP Gobind Singh and lawyers N. Surendran, and Latheefa Koya, both appointed by the family.

The family also lodged two reports at the Shah Alam district police headquarters today.

Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the four policemen involved had been reassigned to desk duties pending investigations. He said the case was classified as murder and was handled by an officer from the state police headquarters. He said he was personally overseeing the investigations.

"I give my assurance that we will do a thorough probe and will take stern action against my men if they had not observed standard procedures in discharging their firearms. If there a need we will hand over this case to Bukit Aman for further investigations. There will be no cover-up. We want to know the truth too. I am keeping the IGP (Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan) updated on each progress of our probe. He has called me more than a dozen times today and is very concerned over what has happened," he said.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced in Kajang that a special panel headed by his deputy will carry out a thorough probe into the shooting. He said Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop's panel will carry out a transparent probe to determine what prompted the shooting. He said the probe would cover all aspects, without hiding any fact to ensure justice for all.

"I'm not only sad but am also surprised at what had transpired, especially when the incident involved a student who was only 15 years old. I give my assurance that the probe will be transparent. We will investigate all aspects, including the need for the police to shoot at that time," he said after attending a gathering with members of the Prisons Department Board of Visitors at Kajang Prison, reports Bernama.

Source by Charles Ramendran at thesundaily




Related article :

• Takziah untuk keluarga Aminulrasyid Amzah