A widely publicized shooting case in West Java's Majalengka regency saw a twist in which the shooter may end up reporting the victim to the police.
It appears that the shooting of a contractor by a civil servant in the Majalengka regency of West Java, which occurred on Sunday night, might get even more twisted.
Police on Tuesday said that the victim, a 36-year-old contractor named Panji Pamungkasandi, demanded IDR500 million (US$35,600) in payment from 35-year-old Irfan Nur Alam, Head of Economic Development in the Majalengka District administration, for a project, which was concluded earlier this year. Though it's still unclear why, Irfan reportedly took out his gun and shot Panji on his left hand.
Majalengka Police on Wednesday named Irfan, the son of Majalengka Regent Karna Sobahi, a suspect in the shooting. Today, police said that the weapon used by Irfan was a rubber bullet gun (having previously said Irfan fired a 9mm caliber gun, which he has a possession permit for, issued by the Indonesian Shooting Association).
Amid ongoing developments in the case, Irfan's lawyer said his client may report Panji to the police with an accusation of assault – essentially arguing that Irfan fired his weapon in self-defense.
"The victim assaulted [Irfan]. [Panji] came from Bandung and he brought a weapon. But that part hasn't been revealed [to the public]," Diarson Lubis, Irfan's legal representative, told Detik today, adding that Irfan pulled the trigger amid the chaos during his meeting with Panji.
Diarson alleged that Panji isn't actually a contractor, but a mediator who's working with a company led by Irfan's brother-in-law, and that the row was related to the permit of a gas station construction project in the regency.
Panji's public statements in relation to the case are in stark contrast with Diarson's. On Tuesday, Panji said that his company is indeed a construction company that specializes in gas station projects. The IDR500 million payment was to fund the construction of a gas station, which was concluded in May.
During the incident, Panji said he was ambushed by dozens of unknown men.
"The gunshot was not to break up [the fight], [Irfan] shot three times. Two people got wounded, me and one of Irfan's men who got hit with a stray bullet," Panji said, as quoted by Detik.
Irfan has been charged with misuse of firearms, which carries a maximum punishment of 12 years in prison. At the time of writing, police have not arrested Irfan, even though suspects facing prison sentences of more than five years are legally required to be taken into custody during a police investigation.