Suspect dies in police shooting

BY Norman palihawadane

A 30-year-old suspect taken into custody by the Katunayake Police over organized crimes was shot dead at Maduwa, on Friday. The suspect had led a team of investigators to a house at Maduwa to recover a cache of weapons hidden by him, police said, claiming that the victim had taken a grenade from a bag and tried to hurl it at the policemen,who shot him in selfdefence. The suspect was declared dead on admission to the Negombo hospital. The suspect, a resident of Minuwangoda, was arrested on Wednesday at Weligama.

Police said that the suspect had been wanted for a number of crimes including extortion. An automatic pistol, a magazine and two rounds of live ammunition were found at the scene of crime. STF commandos were summoned to defuse the grenade thrown by the suspect.