Solved case · 2018
Also known as Tragedy of Kulu Hun · Kulu Hun shooting
The short answer
An off-duty, intoxicated police officer opened fire into a crowd at a party in Dili, Timor-Leste in November 2018, killing three 18-year-old men and wounding five others; the officer and a colleague were later convicted and sentenced.
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Suggest coverage for this casePolice brutality had been a recurring concern in Timor-Leste since the country's independence, with prior incidents reported in Bebonuk (Dili), Praia dos Coqueiros, Ainaro (2017), Covalima (2016), Hera (2012), Delta Nova (2009), and Viqueque (2007). These earlier cases form the backdrop against which the Kulu Hun shooting occurred.
In the early morning of 18 November 2018, four off-duty police officers — identified as José Mina, and three others known by the initials FMS, AJS and AJT — were attending a *kore metan* (end-of-mourning ceremony) hosted by a colleague. All four were intoxicated and in plain clothes. Shortly after midnight, an argument broke out between two men at the gathering, and the officers attempted to intervene. During the confrontation, a power outage plunged the area into darkness. José Mina then stood on a bench and fired his service pistol into the dark crowd.
Three 18-year-old men were killed instantly: Erick Joni Robertus Bria, struck in the head; Leonildo "Leo" Eduardo Ximenes Sequeira, struck in the chest; and Luis Quevin Saldanha Belo, struck in the throat. Five other people were seriously injured in the shooting.
The killings provoked immediate public outrage directed at Timor-Leste's National Police, and protests broke out in Dili the day after the shooting. On 27 March 2019, José Mina was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and FMS received a 20-year sentence.
The case remained a point of reference in subsequent years amid continued concerns over police conduct. Further protests occurred after a separate fatal shooting on 5 June 2021, in which a PNTL officer fired at people in their homes in Lahane, killing Mateus "Amino" de Deus and fatally wounding his son Camilo de Deus, while critically injuring their son-in-law. That incident is referenced as part of the broader pattern of unrest linked to police shootings in Timor-Leste but is a separate case from the Kulu Hun shooting.
Off-duty, intoxicated police officer José Mina fires his service pistol into a crowd during a power outage at a party in Dili, killing three 18-year-old men and injuring five others.
José Mina is sentenced to 25 years in prison; fellow officer FMS is sentenced to 20 years.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
18-year-old killed instantly, shot in the head.[3]
18-year-old killed instantly, shot in the chest.[3]
18-year-old killed instantly, shot in the throat.[3]
Off-duty police officer present at the shooting, sentenced to 20 years in prison.[3]
Off-duty police officer convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for firing the shots that killed three men.[3]
From the record
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
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ONGOINGListenDili, East Timor · 2000s
On 11 February 2008, rebel soldiers led by Alfredo Reinado attacked the residence of East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta and the motorcade and home of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão. Ramos-Horta was shot and seriously wounded; Reinado and another rebel were killed by presidential security.
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