Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam gave the public more information about police protocols in a March 26 Facebook post.

This comes after a police officer shot a knife-wielding man at Block 33 Bendemeer Road on Wednesday, March 23.

Officers had performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man, who was conveyed unconscious to hospital and later pronounced dead.

Following the incident, some members of the public had asked whether it was possible for the police to shoot to injure, rather than to kill.

Continued advancing despite being tasered

In his post, Shanmugam elaborated on the dangerous circumstances that the officers were in.

The man had been given multiple warnings to drop his knife, and when he continued moving towards the officers, was tasered.

According to an earlier report by CNA, the officers fired three taser shots at the man first, and retreated to create a "safe distance" between themselves and the man.

However, this did not stop him from advancing, and one of the officers then fired a shot at the man.

Shanmugam added that the man had a history of drug abuse, and was under investigations for several offences, including rash act and voluntarily causing hurt to a police officer.

The man was also wanted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

The home affairs minister said that while most understood police actions in this case, some have asked if the man's death could be avoided.

Shanmugam explained that the officers are trained to fire at the centre of the body to stop an "imminent threat of grievous hurt or death," as it offers a higher probability of hitting the intended person, and reducing the risk of injuring bystanders.

This echoed the words of a police spokesperson on March 23, who also told CNA:

"In dynamic situations, this offers a higher probability of hitting, and the shot is more likely to stop the subject. This also reduces the risk of injuries to innocent bystanders from stray bullets."

In response to Shanmugam's post, an overwhelming majority of commenters said that they agreed with the course of action taken by the police, and thanked the officers for risking their lives.

You can read the Facebook post here:

Top image via K. Shanmugam's Facebook page