In a devastating incident today, February 26, in the Pathiraja Watta area of Elpitiya, Public Health Inspector W.D. Roshan Pushpakumara lost his life in a fatal shooting while preparing to send his younger son off for his first year, according to police reports.
The victim, a 51-year-old father of three, was employed as an administrative public health inspector at the Karandeniya Medical Officer of Health office.
Elpitiya Acting Magistrate Vajira Ponnamperuma arrived at the scene promptly to conduct a magisterial investigation into the tragic event.
According to authorities, the perpetrators believed to be two individuals on a motorcycle, carried out the shooting at approximately 7:00 a.m. before fleeing the scene.
At the time of the incident, Mr Pushpakumara’s wife, a teacher, had already left for work in the Ella area of Elpitiya. His mother and younger sons were present at home during the shooting.
The motive behind the murder remains undisclosed as investigations by the Elpitiya Police continue.
Speaking on the loss, Elpitiya Medical Officer of Health Dayananda Sandamali highlighted Mr Pushpakumara’s significant contributions, noting his role as the treasurer of the Sri Lanka Public Health Inspectors Association. He further mentioned that Mr Pushpakumara had recently been promoted to the position of Administrative Public Health Inspector at the Karandeniya Public Health Officer Office.
Elpitiya Police are actively pursuing further leads to unravel the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.
