KK shooting spree work of teens

The police say the shooting spree which damaged some 25 business premises in Kota Kinabalu was the work of teenagers

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police have confirmed that the shooting incident which damaged about 25 premises in Kota Kinabalu, Karamunsing and Inanam late last night was the work of a band of mischievous teenagers.

Kota Kinabalu police chief ACP Jauteh Dikun said that several closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera recordings showed that a group of six teenagers used three vehicles, two of them four-wheel drives, and went on the one-hour shooting spree simultaneously.

“The suspects went around targeting banks, hotels, beauty saloons, entertainment outlets, offices and fast food restaurants for an hour starting at 11.45 pm.

“It involved a total of 13 business premises in Karamunsing, nine in Luyang and three banks in Inanam,” he told a press conference here today.

Jauteh said the teenagers fired marbles with air-rifles at the glass doors of the affected premises.

“All the premises had broken glass doors and holes in their glass walls. We found three marbles believed to have been used as the air rifle bullets,” he said.

No casualties were reported and police were tracing the identity of the suspects from the CCTV recordings, he added.

The case had been classified under Section 427 of the Penal Code as mischief, he said.

He went on to deny rumours that the incident was linked to the trial of the 30 individuals charged with waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and for alleged involvement in various terrorist activities in Sabah last year.

He urged the public to remain calm as the incident was the work of only a group of delinquent teenagers who were out to cause unrest among the people.

Jauteh also appealed the public with any information on suspicious activities involving air rifles to contact the Karamunsing police headquarters hotline @ 088-221191 or his direct line 019-8039520.

– Bernama