Jakarta – The National Police Headquarters have set up a fact-finding team to investigate a shooting in Enarotali, Papua, during which four civilians were killed and dozens of others injured on Dec. 8, 2014.
Papua Provincial Police chief Yotje Mende said in Jayapura on Wednesday that he had already received information from Jakarta on the fact-finding team's establishment, but he did not know whether the team was already in the field.
Yotje said his side had encountered difficulties investigating the case, especially in arresting those who had opened fire during the incident and in determining who had been behind it, although a number of witnesses had been questioned. So far nobody has been held as a suspect in the case.
"I can be certain that the shooters were not police officers," Yotje said as quoted by Antara News Agency. He said that the shooting was committed from a distance of 300 meters, while the police used only SS-1 rifles that could not be used effectively at that range.
The incident occurred when local people launched an attack on the local military office following the removal of logs put on the road to stop traffic into the town. Four died in the incident and dozens of others were injured. The four were named as Yulian Yeimo, Simon Degei, Alpius Gobay and Alpius Youw.
The fact-finding team was set up under orders from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who during a Christmas visit to the province instructed the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the case.