Padang. Adjunct Commissioner Dadang Iskandar has been charged with premeditated murder after fatally shooting a fellow mid-ranking police officer in West Sumatra. The charge, under Article 340 of the Criminal Code, carries a maximum penalty of death by firing squad, police said on Saturday.

Dadang allegedly shot Adjunct Commissioner Ryanto Ulil Anshar from behind in the parking lot of the South Solok District Police headquarters on Friday. The shooting stemmed from a dispute over an ongoing investigation into illegal mining activities in the regency.

“[Dadang] is charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code for premeditated murder,” said West Sumatra Police spokesman Dwi Sulistyawan in Padang.

An ethics tribunal is scheduled for next week, and Dadang is likely to be dishonorably discharged from the National Police before his trial, Dwi added.

Investigators revealed that Dadang demanded the release of a truck driver who had been arrested during a raid at an illegal mining site. When Ryanto rejected his request, Dadang became enraged and shot him, striking him twice in the head.

Chief Commissioner Andri Kurniawan, head of the criminal investigation unit at the West Sumatra Police, said that Dadang had a history of protecting illegal mining operations in South Solok, based on witness testimony.

“A driver transporting mining products was detained, and [Dadang] demanded his release to assist the driver’s employer,” Andri said during a news conference.

After killing Ryanto, Dadang allegedly fired shots at the official residence of South Solok Police Chief Arief Mukti, located just a few meters from the district police headquarters. Arief was inside at the time but was unharmed.

Authorities are now investigating the identity of the illegal mine owner who reportedly sought Dadang’s intervention for the truck driver’s release.

Dadang was presented to the media during the news conference, dressed in a blue detainee uniform.

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