(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A police sergeant confessed in court on Monday that he shot a compatriot colleague three times and hit him twice in the head, over a personal issue.
The 26-year-old Yemeni allegedly shot to death his colleague, 53, right after collecting his gun and ammunitions. He pleaded guilty to a premeditated murder charge in the Court of First Instance. A 51-year-old sergeant, who was allegedly present at the crime scene, said he arrived at Al Rafaa police station at around 1.30pm on November 8 last year to start his shift. "The victim was on duty at the warehouse as he was assigned with delivering and collecting firearms from police officers." The witness received his gun and ammunitions. "The defendant was there and I heard him saying to the victim: when you and another man (I could not recall the name) arrived at my place, what did you do to me?" The accused the pointed his gun at the victim's head. "I thought he was joking. So I turned away," the witness said. But at that very moment the witness heard a shot. He then ran out of the warehouse towards the stairs. "I screamed saying there is a shooting". As he was hiding below the stairs, he heard two more shots. "I went back to the warehouse and saw the victim lying down with blood coming out from his mouth. The lieutenant on duty arrived and paramedics tried to save the victim, but in vain. "He came to me saying that he was turning himself in for the legal procedures. I asked him what he was talking about and he said he had shot a corporal. I took his gun and handcuffs." The lieutenant took the defendant to the office of the head of traffic section. "There he said the victim and four other men went to his place about 15 days before the incident. The victim, the accused claimed, gagged him with a piece of cloth that made him pass out. When he woke up he found that he had been sexually assaulted." The defendant said he had been worried the men could have filmed him and was in a terrible state of mind which drove him to shoot the victim. The defendant was subjected to psychiatric evaluation. He was found to have no psychological disorders and could be seen responsible for his acts. The evaluation report concluded that the defendant had become suspicious over others' behaviours after he had been allegedly assaulted in 2008.