Police officer found with gunshot wound at Bayfront Avenue believed to have fired three shots, the third to his head: SPF

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) officer who was found with a gunshot wound at 1 Bayfront Avenue and later pronounced dead was believed to have fired three shots, said the police on Monday (Sep 19) evening.

“The officer had reported for duty in the morning of Sep 19, 2022, and had drawn his service pistol from the armoury,” said the police in a news release, adding that the officer later went to the boardwalk along 1 Bayfront Avenue, where Marina Bay Sands is located.

The police said they were alerted to three gunshots heard along the area at 9.44am.

“The officer was later found with a gunshot wound to his head. He was believed to have fired two shots into the air, before firing the third shot to the right side of his head,” said the police.

The 29-year-old officer was sent unconscious to the hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

No other person was reported to be injured, said the police, adding that the service pistol was found at the scene.

The case has been classified as unnatural death and investigations are ongoing. So far, the police do not suspect foul play.

The officer joined the police force in September 2014 and was with Central Police Division.

“Based also on preliminary checks, he had not sought help from his unit, supervisors, or counsellors,” the police said.

“SPF officers undergo training by the Police Psychological Services Department (PPSD) on how to identify possible signs and symptoms of distress and learn basic coping skills,” they said.

They added that officers are also informed of the resources they can access should they need assistance in coping with their distress, which include internal and external resources.

“For instance, each unit in the SPF has para-counsellors who are trained in basic counselling skills to help identify distressed officers and render necessary support,” said SPF.

Officers can also go for face-to-face counselling with in-house psychologists or external counselling service providers, they added.

“At the same time, best practices on safeguarding mental health and well-being and other relevant resources are shared regularly with officers via internal communications channels.”

The police also appealed to members of the public to refrain from circulating videos or images of the deceased out of respect for his family.

BERITAmediacorp was tipped off about the incident on Monday via WhatsApp, with two pictures sent to the news portal.

The first picture shows a man lying on the boardwalk in front of Marina Bay Sands with a gun near him. Another photo shows a police car near the location where the man was found.