Auxiliary Policeman Was Thinking About His Financial Matters When He Fired Live Round in Toilet

If there was a news category for “what was this person thinking”, this Certis Cisco auxiliary police officer who arbitrarily but deliberately fired a bullet in a toilet cubicle while mulling over his financial situation, would join the teen who decided that cutting the safety rope of a gondola was a thought he should entertain.

Yes, your eyes are not fooling you.

Goh Ze Lin, the auxiliary officer in question, intentionally fired a bullet while seated in a toilet cubicle and ruminating over his financial matters.

The Day of the Incident

The incident happened on 8 January 2021.

Goh Ze Lin, aged 35 then, had been dispatched to the OCBC bank branch at Harbourfront Centre mall alone for auxiliary policing duties.

He was given a Taurus 85 revolver that was loaded with 0.38-inch live rounds for his duties, and another spare five rounds in a speed loader.

According to Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Gail Wong, the effective range for this type of weapon and ammunition was 46 metres, and the gun was intended to be “accurate and potentially lethal” within the given range.

At 11:45am that day, Goh left his duty post to answer the call of nature at the men’s toilet on the second level of the mall.

He stepped into a cubicle, removed his utility belt where the gun was holstered and placed it on the floor in front of him.

While he was seated on the toilet bowl, he withdrew the gun from its holster and fiddled with it.

The accused stated that he had been thinking about financial matters when he rashly squeezed the trigger which fired a single round that hit the floor, causing a small indentation of the ground.

Five minutes after the shooting, Goh left the toilet and informed the operations manager what he had done.

The manager told him to remain where he stood and wait for the police to arrive.

The Court Proceedings

During the court hearing, the prosecution argued that Goh was “trained and certified to handle and use the revolver” and he knew that officers were not supposed to pull out or use their weapon unless there was a genuine threat.

(Besides that, do you know how much paperwork someone has to file just for pulling out the gun?)

DPP Wong added, “There was no threat of any kind at the material time and the accused knew he had no reason to draw or use the loaded revolver.”

Additionally, a report proved that Goh had “deliberately pulled the revolver with sufficient pressure and/or cocked the hammer, to discharge the live round”.

The gun had also been inspected; all parts and mechanisms of the weapons were in suitable working conditions and there were no defects.

At the time of the firing, the accused had not been paying attention if anyone was in the toilet with him.

When Goh was examined at the Institute of Mental Health, his psychiatrist didn’t diagnose him with any mental disorders, although he did say that Goh had a “transient situation reaction”.

Your Honour, I think Goh had a momentary existential crisis which led to this act of impulse.

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The Final Sentencing

In a district court on Friday (11 March), the 36-year-old Malaysian pleaded guilty to committing a rash act that endangered human life.

The prosecution asked for 10 weeks of jail time, asserting that the bullet could have ricocheted and hit either Goh or the other persons using the toilet, which had at least two more cubicles and urinals.

Despite saying that, DPP Wong conceded that Goh had shown sufficient remorse in his early plea of guilt and how he had informed his operation manager almost immediately after the incident occurred, which significantly mitigated the weight of his offence.

Goh’s defence counsel, Mr Riko Isaac, concurred.

He stated that after his client’s employment with Certis Cisco was terminated, he has felt “extremely remorseful” and he’s currently working as a storekeeper to upkeep his livelihood.

Moreover, Goh didn’t have any vision beyond the cubicle at that time, which removed any intention of deliberately endangering another human life.

In response to both sides, Principal District Judge Victor Yeo told the accused that he had to be aware of the dangers and risks of discharging a firearm as an auxiliary police officer, especially given that he was certified and trained.

There was “absolutely no reason” for him to take out his loaded revolver and open fire in an enclosed public space.

Hence, Justice Yeo sentenced Goh Ze Lin to nine weeks in jail.

For the rash act of endangering human life, Goh could have faced six months of imprisonment, fined S$2,500, or both.  

All things considered, Goh made a mistake and he got off rather lightly, because the consequences and following repercussions really could have been much worse. 

Seriously though, what was so troubling about his finances that it led to this?

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