A suspended police constable has died after being shot with an air rifle by his uncle during a dispute at a house near the Ihalagama paddy warehouse in Galenbinduwewa early this morning (27), police said.
The deceased has been identified as Kariyapperuma Mudiyanselage Mahinda Navaratne Bandara (57), a resident of Ihalagama, Galenbinduwewa.
According to police, the deceased had entered his wife’s father’s house early this morning and had an argument with his wife and two children. During the altercation, he had allegedly attempted to attack his wife’s father with an axe, prompting the 77-year-old man to open fire with an air rifle.
The injured man was rushed to the Galenbinduwewa Regional Hospital by his eldest son with the assistance of a 1990 Suwaseriya ambulance, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The Acting Magistrate of the Kahatagasdigiliya Magistrate’s Court, Nalin Dimuthu Bandara, conducted an on-site inspection this afternoon. The body has been placed at the Galenbinduwewa Regional Hospital and is to be transferred to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Police said the 77-year-old suspect and the air rifle used in the incident have been taken into custody, and further investigations are underway.
