Officer opened fire to prevent prison breach, says Acting Prisons Chief

Colombo, July 7 (Daily Mirror) - Acting Commissioner General of Prisons Prasad Hemantha Kumara has defended the actions of an officer seen opening fire through a gate during the recent unrest at Negombo Prison, saying the officer acted to prevent a catastrophic prison breach and protect prison officers trapped inside.

Addressing widely circulated social media footage of the incident, the Acting Prisons Chief said the video showed only a small part of the confrontation and failed to capture the critical situation unfolding inside the prison. 

He explained that prisons are secured by two main gates, an outer wodden gate and an inner iron gate, and that rioting inmates had already forced their way through the iron gate and were advancing towards the second barrier.

He said the area between the two gates contains vital infrastructure, including baggage and body scanning equipment as well as the prison's primary communication systems. According to the official, had the inmates breached the wooden gate, the destruction of those facilities and the possibility of a mass prison escape would have posed a serious threat to public safety.

He said the officers had no option but to take decisive action, despite the risks to their own lives, to prevent the situation from spiralling further.

Responding to criticism over the prison's emergency response, he said the viral video captured only the final stage of the incident. He noted that before the shots were fired, a large number of prison officers had entered the prison to contain the violence and protect inmates, but were themselves trapped inside and attacked by the rioters.

He said the officer ultimately opened fire through an opening in the wooden gate to regain control of the escalating situation and ensure the safety of the officers who had become trapped inside the prison.