21-year-old NS police officer who died of gunshot was trapped in employment scam

Singapore — An NS officer who died of a gunshot wound while serving in the police Special Operations Command (SOC) force fell into an employment scam. He also revealed to his family and colleagues he had suicidal thoughts.

Finnegan Tan Yao Jie, 21, was found dead on Aug 30, 2021, in a toilet cubicle at the Special Operations Command with a gunshot wound to the head from a pistol he had claimed from the police armoury.

The coroner’s inquest in the case started today (Feb 1). The court revealed that the NS officer posted on the social platform Instagram that he was about to die for various reasons, including being cheated out of money and hating a secondary school classmate.

The NS officer had called the police, saying that he had fallen into an employment scam and lost more than $10,200, of which $7,000 was borrowed from his father. He felt guilty about it.

In addition, the NS officer disclosed to his family and relatives during the Lunar New Year that he had the idea of ​​suicide. Several months before the incident, he also searched the internet for information about suicide, shooting with gloves and how to make a will.

The superiors of the NS officer acknowledged that he was emotionally unstable after being defrauded of money and they had considered barring the NS officer from firearms for a period of time.

But, after observation, the superior did not find the NS officer had any suicidal tendencies or symptoms of depression, so he ordered other team members to take care of the NS officer and considered prohibiting him from carrying a gun. Before the superior decided further, the NS officer committed suicide.

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda asked the investigating officer to furnish documents to explain the Instagram post and if there were changes in standard operating procedures after the incident.

The findings will be given at a later date.

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