Burglars shoot Omaruru doctor

AN Omaruru medical doctor was wounded in his home in the early hours of yesterday morning when burglars that he had found inside his house started shooting in an apparent bid to flee.

Dr Bertus Venter yesterday judged himself to have been extremely lucky for having come out of an altercation with a group of burglars with only two gunshot wounds – one a flesh wound through his upper right arm, the other a scratch wound on the lower part of his left arm. Dr Venter related to The Namibian that he and his wife woke up around 01h00 yesterday when their cat appeared to be behaving strangely in their bedroom.Not noticing anything untoward in their house, the couple lay down again, but Dr Venter once more got up to have a look around the house.He said he then heard voices inside his study.His reaction was to close the study’s door and lock it from the outside.Inside, the intruders started firing shots through the door.Dr Venter was struck, but the burglars’ attempts to shoot the door open – they directed shots at the door’s lock – failed.They managed to find a hammer in the study, and used it to break parts of the burglar-proofing in front of the room’s window, and fled into the night.Dr Venter said he could see two people running off; the Police have however informed him that there appeared to have been more people involved.So much for experiencing rural crime, city-style.But then, once the Police had been summoned, Dr Venter also had to experience rapid law enforcement reaction, Namibian Police-style, as Police officers on duty had no transport to get themselves to the scene at speed, and had to set off on foot instead.Dr Venter related to The Namibian that he and his wife woke up around 01h00 yesterday when their cat appeared to be behaving strangely in their bedroom.Not noticing anything untoward in their house, the couple lay down again, but Dr Venter once more got up to have a look around the house.He said he then heard voices inside his study.His reaction was to close the study’s door and lock it from the outside.Inside, the intruders started firing shots through the door.Dr Venter was struck, but the burglars’ attempts to shoot the door open – they directed shots at the door’s lock – failed.They managed to find a hammer in the study, and used it to break parts of the burglar-proofing in front of the room’s window, and fled into the night.Dr Venter said he could see two people running off; the Police have however informed him that there appeared to have been more people involved.So much for experiencing rural crime, city-style.But then, once the Police had been summoned, Dr Venter also had to experience rapid law enforcement reaction, Namibian Police-style, as Police officers on duty had no transport to get themselves to the scene at speed, and had to set off on foot instead.