A 28-year-old man arrested for domestic violence allegedly grabbed a gun from one of the policemen nearby and randomly fired several shots before being restrained at the KaBokweni police station near White River on Wednesday morning.
The man was injured during the fracas but it was unclear how this happened and was rushed to the nearby Themba hospital where he received medical treatment before being discharged.
No other person was injured during the incident that brings to two the number of shooting incidents involving an arrested man and cops right inside a police station in Mpumalanga in just five days.
Mpumalanga police spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Hlathi, said the KaBokweni incident that happened shortly after 9:30am left members of the police traumatised and that they were going to receive counseling.
“The members managed to restrain the suspect and recover the gun. He was injured in the process and was taken to hospital where he was treated and discharged. Our members were traumatised about the situation and will receive counseling,” said Hlathi who was speaking from the scene.
He said the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), a police watchdog, had taken over the investigations of the incident.
MEC for safety, security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe condemned the incident and called on people to respect the rule of law.
“The police will be forced to use excessive force in order to protect themselves in a situation of this nature. The suspect in today’s situation is even very fortunate that other cops did not kill him. I call upon all people to respect the rule of law instead of taking chances with police,” said Shongwe. ENDS
September 21, 2011
Current Affairs