A suspect who allegedly snatched a police officer’s service pistol and shot and injured another officer in the Katunayake area has been arrested and ordered detained until July 20, with police identifying him as a former Civil Defence Force (CDF) member.
The shooting took place on the afternoon of July 15 in the Dewamottawa area, when officers were carrying out a routine check on a person suspected of drug possession. According to police, the suspect grabbed an officer’s pistol, opened fire — injuring another policeman — and fled on a motorcycle. The wounded officer was admitted to the Minuwangoda Hospital.
A manhunt was launched, and the suspect was apprehended around two hours later in the Devolapola area of Minuwangoda. Police recovered the firearm used in the incident. Investigators subsequently established that the suspect had previously served in the Civil Defence Force.
Producing him before the Minuwangoda Magistrate’s Court, police obtained permission to detain and question the suspect until July 20 as investigations continue. Officers had earlier said inquiries were ongoing to trace all those involved in the incident.
The case has drawn attention to the risks faced by officers during routine field checks, and to the handling of service weapons in such encounters.
