One man is dead and thousands of kina worth of property burnt in clashes this morning in Lae, Morobe Province.
Eyewithness saidthe victim, a Sepik youth, was shot throughthe eye at close range by a hidden gunman as he was trying to stop a group of men from assaulting his older brther who is mentally ill.
“He heard that his older brther was being beaten and he went to stopthem,” saidthe victim’s sister, Sabina Berry. “They shot him throughthe eye andthe bullet came out throughthe back of his head.”
Followingthe killing, relatives ofthe young man went on a violent rampage burning property belonging to members ofthe Western Highlands community who have been blamed for the shooting.
Houses and stores on five blocks were torched inthe early hours of this morning before police arrived.
“They told us to mover our cargo in case of an attack,” said Angela Tibang, a primary school teacher who was warned by her Neighbours.
Angela and her two children have been left homeless after this morning’s rampage. Alltheir property was looted.
Police collected statements from eyewithnesses and family members ofthe victim. They expect to make arrests soon.
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