Pakistani Police Shoot Christian Man

Alayan Johnson, a 22-year-old Christian auto-rickshaw driver in Punjab, Pakistan, was shot by police after being mistaken for a suspect. Now, police are reportedly pressuring him to call off an investigation into the shooting.

In a video statement from his hospital bed, Johnson recounted the terrifying event. He said that as soon as he dropped off a passenger, the police arrived. Seeing the police, the passenger — a wanted suspect — shot at the police and ran away.

Instead of chasing the suspect, the police unit, known as the Dolphin Force, opened fire on Johnson. He said they fired at him nine times from about 12 feet away. Bullets struck Johnson’s legs, thighs, neck, and stomach. Miraculously, one bullet hit his chest but was blocked by the mobile phone in his shirt pocket, saving his life.

Johnson, who was not armed, fell to the ground. As the police came near him, he told them who he was. The police then took him to Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

Doctors told Johnson, the primary supporter for his two parents and five siblings, that he might be paralyzed in one leg.

The incident has also exposed severe systemic intimidation. Johnson’s family is reportedly facing relentless pressure from Dolphin Force officials to drop the case and halt the ongoing investigation. Johnson himself said he was forced to give a false statement at the Sadiqabad police station at first, claiming the passenger, Arslan, shot him. Later in the hospital, Johnson corrected his statement, saying the police shot him at close range even though he was unarmed.

Law enforcement officials in Rawalpindi have suspended and charged the four Dolphin police officers. They also ordered a fair investigation. The Dolphin Force in Rawalpindi, an elite unit of the Punjab Police that combats street crime, is already facing heavy criticism for abuse of power. Although Johnson has no criminal history, he and his family are being threatened with severe consequences if they do not drop the case.

“He was a hardworking young man supporting his family,” an International Christian Concern (ICC) staffer said. “The reckless inefficiency of these officers has effectively robbed an innocent, hardworking young man of his youth and physical mobility. We pray for a fair investigation and hope that true justice is served for young Alayan and his family.”

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