Wednesday, 23 April 2008

Handcuffed drug suspect kills Cambodian police officer, wounds 4 others during raid

The Associated Press
Published: April 22, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A handcuffed suspected drug dealer fatally shot a policeman and wounded four other officers with a concealed handgun during a raid Tuesday, police said.

Phnom Penh police Chief Touch Naroth blamed the officers for failing to properly search the suspect when they stormed his room in the Cambodian capital.

After handcuffing the suspect, the raiding officers pushed the man to the floor without patting down his body for hidden weapons, he said.

While police carried out a search of the room, the suspect picked up a small gun that had fallen from the waistband of his pants and started shooting, killing a 31-year-old officer instantly. Four others were hurt.

"It was their negligence for not searching his body right after apprehending him," Touch Naroth said, adding the wounded officers were being treated at a hospital.

Touch Naroth said police found about 1 kilogram (2 pounds) of a powder believed to be an illicit drug in the room, but he did not say what it was.

Cambodia is not a major drug producer but has increasingly become a transit route for illegal drugs including heroin and methamphetamine.

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