Off-Duty Police Officer Kills Three in Jakarta Bar Shooting

Jakarta. An off-duty officer has been named suspect for the deadly shooting at a West Jakarta bar that killed three people, including a soldier, and injured one person early on Thursday.

The shooting at around 04.30 a.m. followed a dispute between the officer, who is identified by initial Brigadier C.S., and bar employees over his bill.

Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran made a public apology hours after the incident.

“The suspect was immediately taken into custody this morning and named a suspect after we conducted the crime scene investigation,” Fadil said at a news conference at the Jakarta Police headquarters.

“As Jakarta Police chief, the superior of the suspect, I offer my apologies to the public, the families of the victims and the Army. My prayer and thought are with them,” Fadil said.

C.S. arrived at Kafe RM in West Jakarta at around 02.00 a.m., when the bar was about to close, Jakarta Police spokesman Chief Comr. Yusri Yunus told the news conference.

“He drank at the bar until 04.00 a.m. and involved into a spat with a bar employee over the bill,” Yusri said.

According to sources, the officer was charged Rp 3.3 million ($238) for the drinks. The drunken officer got mad with the bill and took out his gun.

“He shot four people, killing three at on the spot and injuring another, who is now being treated at hospital,” Yusri said.

The slain employees have been identified as Martinus Kardo Rizky Sinurat, an army soldier who took a moonlighting job as the bar’s security personnel, cashier Manik, and Feri Saut Simanjuntak.

Bar manager Hutapea was injured in the incident.

Reports said the suspect came to the bar accompanied by a woman, whose identity was not disclosed.

Jakarta Military Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Herwin Budi Saputra urged the police to thoroughly investigate the shooting that killed one of his men.

He said the command is “closely monitoring” the ongoing police investigation.

"We call on all soldiers on the ground not to get provoked by this incident," he said.

The fatal shooting was the latest incident in recent months that put police reputation in tatters.

It came only a week after 12 officers from the district police office in Astana Anyar in the West Java capital of Bandung were arrested for allegedly consuming crystal meth. 

In January, officers involved in a shootout that killed four members of hardline group Islamic Defender Front of FPI, that prompted the National Commission for Human Rights to launch a probe.