Police shot dead a man who killed his 6-year-old nephew with a machete while holding him hostage during a 12-hour standoff in Tbong Khmum province on Tuesday, police said Wednesday.
The boy was visiting his uncle Him Sokna in Ponhea Krek district’s Kak commune when the 22-year-old tied his nephew to a pole, said Tbong Khmum police chief Mao Pov.
Villagers alerted police of the boy’s screams before Him Sokna, armed with a machete, threatened to kill his nephew if anyone entered his home.
“Police and villagers surrounded his house from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and tried to convince him to release his nephew but he refused,” Mr. Pov said.
He said police offered Him Sokna a drink laced with a sedative, but he refused.
“After he did not take the drink, police used stun guns to shoot the suspect unconscious in order to enter the house to rescue the boy,” he said.
“But when our police officials entered the house, the suspect was still conscious and used the machete to chop police,” Mr. Pov added. “When the suspect attacked police, they retreated and the suspect was really angry at us and used the machete to chop his nephew.”
He said Him Sokna then tried to run out of the house and continue attacking police, who shot him dead.
“To protect the safety of the police and villagers, our forces shot him twice in the right thigh but the suspect still did not stop so our police shot one more bullet into his stomach and he died at the scene,” Mr. Pov said.
Tha Chharath, who was slashed by his uncle on the neck, thigh and hands, died on the way to hospital, he said.
Oem Kao, deputy chief of the provincial serious crimes police, said Him Sokna returned from working in Thailand last year and often complained of feeling light-headed, but was never violent.
Mr. Kao said Him Sokna began acting strange last week, when he started forgetting people he knew and attempted to strangle his father.
“We do not know if the suspect had mental problems or not,” he said.
