An Indonesian policeman has gunned down his colleague who molested their boss' wife, the National Police said, in a case that has sent shockwaves throughout the country.
According to National Police spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan, the shootout took place in the official residence of Internal Affairs Division Chief Inspector General Ferdy Sambo in South Jakarta on July 8 at 5pm.
At home at the time were Ferdy's wife, the family's bodyguard Private Second Class E, and their chauffeur Brigadier J.
J crept into his boss' wife's room while she was resting before molesting her and pointing a gun to her head. She then screamed for help, and a panicked J ran out of the room on the ground floor of the house.
Hearing the commotion, E, who was on the second floor, asked J what was going on, only for the latter to fire the first shot. "That shot turned into a shootout, resulting in J's demise," Ahmad said.
E fired five rounds at J, all of which hit the target, resulting in seven entry and exit wounds. J, on the other hand, fired seven rounds, all of which missed E. "[E] had the high ground and was covered," Ahmad added.
The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) has called for legal protection for E, who is seen to have come to the aid of a sexual molestation victim and had acted in self defense from J.
Not everybody is quick to believe the National Police's account of what transpired. A member of the House of Parliament (DPR), for one, has called for a thorough investigation as he found it hard to believe that two cops would shoot at each other.
The watchdog Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), meanwhile, has called for an independent investigation and autopsy of J's body, saying that the National Police has not provided specific details, such as forensics data, that would confirm their version of what happened in the incident.
CCTV cameras inside the house would have provided key evidence, but the South Jakarta Metro Police today said that the network had bee shut down two weeks ago due to a malfunction.