The gunman arrested in the murder of a 19-year-old youth in Mount Lavinia recently had been previously remanded over another shooting incident in the same area, Police Spokesman SSP Buddhika Manatunga said.
Addressing the media today, SSP Manatunga said the suspect had been involved in the shooting targeting the 19-year-old youth, less than 20 days since being released on bail in connection with the previous shooting incident.
The Police Spokesman revealed that the suspect had been arrested as the main gunman in a shooting reported in the Dehiwala area in September 2024 and had been produced in court on 19 September 2024, after which he was remanded.
However, a bail application filed by him had been accepted by the High Court, after which he was released on bail on 17 April 2025. “Within 20 days of his release from prison, he carried out this shooting targeting the 19-year-old boy in Mount Lavinia,” SSP Manatunga added.
The Police Spokesman said the gunman, a motorcyclist and two other suspects have been arrested so far, along with the firearm and motorcycle used in the murder.
On 05 May, a 19-year-old youth, a resident of Auburn Place in Dehiwala, who was employed on a contract basis as a worker in the solid waste department of the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council, was shot dead.
The victim was cleaning the Sylvester Road area in Mount Lavinia when the suspect, on a motorcycle, opened fire from behind and later chased the youth onto the main road and shot him multiple times, before fleeing the area. (Newswire)