Phnom Penh municipal police arrested a man for the deadly shooting of a scavenger, while one of the scavenger’s surviving accomplices was detained for the alleged theft of steel on September 24 in Chak Chrouk village of Por Sen Chey district’s Trapeang Krasang commune.
Municipal police spokesman San Sok Seiha on September 26 declined to elaborate on the case, citing an ongoing investigation.
But a district police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity identified the scavenger as Vandoeun, 18, and the suspected shooter as Chanrithy, 26.
Citing eye-witness accounts, the officer said that at about 1am on September 24, Vandoeun and three other men who were pulling a scrap cart stole steel poles from a house in the village. The home owner, who is Chanrithy’s father-in-law, saw the theft occurring and tried to stop it but was then beaten by the four alleged thieves with one of the metal poles they had just stolen.
According to witnesses, when Chanrithy saw the gang chasing and beating his father-in-law, he shot at them with a pistol and hit Vandoeun on his upper-right side. He was brought to the hospital by people living nearby but died shortly after arrival.
The officer added that based on the home owner’s account, the scavengers had already stolen from the property on September 23 and returned to take more the next day.
After the incident, district authorities opened an investigation and arrested Chanrithy and one of the four scavengers on September 25. Both are being questioned at the district police station and may be sent to court for further procedures.
