Authorities in Pakistan have arrested more than a dozen counterterrorism officers after police shot and killed a middle-aged couple, their 13-year-old daughter and another man in what they initially claimed was a shoot-out with insurgents, officials said Sunday. The police killed grocery store owner Mohammad Khalil, his wife Nabila, their daughter Areeba and a family friend, Zeeshan Javed, after stopping their vehicle late on Saturday. Police said Mr. Javed was a wanted terrorist and initially accused him of using the others as human shields.
Family members and witnesses say police killed the four in cold blood. They say police rear-ended the vehicle to stop it after a car chase. The police then removed three small children from the vehicle before opening fire, killing everyone inside, according to the witnesses.
The shooting sparked widespread outrage, with hundreds of mourners gathering in Lahore, where the victims of the shooting lived, and chanting against the police.
Authorities say they have launched an investigation and arrested 16 officers involved in the shooting.
Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that he was “shocked at seeing the traumatised children who saw their parents shot before their eyes” and said “swift action will be taken.” Usman Buzdar, Chief Minister of Punjab, met with the family and promised that justice would be served.
