Romanian Border Police Officer Shot Dead In Western Town

According to Timis County Border Police Inspectorate spokesman Ciprian Gaic, the officer, who was on duty at the time, was shot in the chest and died on the way to hospital because of his wounds. He was found by a passer-by, who called the emergency services.

Timis County Police spokesperson Marinela Apostolache said the officer was on duty, but not at his post.

According to sources among the investigators, the officer’s pistol and magazine were found Saturday morning in a ditch several meters from the scene of the crime, along with a car radio and a bag containing a hood. Investigators are considering the possibility that the officer saw a gang of thieves and intervened. All six shots in the magazine had been fired.

Apostolache could not say for sure if the officer had been shot with the pistol.

Police checkpoints have been set up on roads leading out of Sannicolau Mare, in an attempt to catch the crime’s perpetrators.

Investigations are underway among the officer’s colleagues, in order to ascertain what determined him to leave his post during the night, Gaic said.

Tiberiu Sarbu was 38 years old, was married and had a child. He had worked in the TImis Border Police since 2001 and had been a gendarme previously. Bucharest Police Department spokesman Christian Ciocan said the Timis County Police Inspectorate decided Saturday to promote Sarbu to the rank of deputy inspector.