Police investigating a fatal shooting at a Mount Lavinia motorcycle repair shop suspect the 40-year-old victim may not have been the intended target, with the shop owner appearing to be the likely objective.
A 40-year-old man from Ragama was shot dead at a motorcycle repair shop on Huludagoda Lane in Mount Lavinia around 9.40 p.m. on the evening of the 15th. According to police, two unidentified gunmen arrived on a motorcycle and one suspect entered the premises and fired multiple shots with a revolver before escaping. The victim was transported to Kalubowila Teaching Hospital but succumbed to his injuries at the facility.
CCTV footage obtained by police shows the two suspects arriving on the motorcycle and proceeding towards the repair shop before the shooting occurred. The victim, identified as a 40-year-old resident of Ragama, was found near the shop premises. According to the shop owner's mother, who arrived at the scene after attending a local festival, the deceased was a friend of her son and had regularly visited the location, allegedly to use drugs.
Investigations have led police to believe the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity or misguided targeting. Police suspect the intended target was the motorcycle repair shop owner, identified as 'Sandun,' who is reportedly associated with a drug trafficker known as "ID." According to police statements, Sandun had previously been questioned by the Western Province South Crime Division in connection with a recent murder in the area.
Police also suspect the incident may represent retaliation following a recent shooting death of an associate of an individual known as "Kudu Anju" in the Ratmalana area. The Mount Lavinia Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau, under supervision of Western Province South Deputy Inspector General Samantha Wijesekara, continues investigations into the incident.
