Officers investigated after shooting

THE death of a 40-year-old man at Ondangwa last week could have dire consequences for two Police officers if an internal investigation concludes that it was murder.

Isaskar Natangwe Shikongo was reportedly shot dead at a taxi rank opposite the Yetu Shopping complex at around 17h00 last Tuesday, after two officers of the Namibian Police’s VIP Protection Unit approached him about allegations of ATM fraud. Sources at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) allege that the officers had caught up with Shikongo as he got into a taxi, and allegedly ordered him out of the vehicle without properly identifying themselves.Shikongo was apparently told to raise his hands above his head, while one of the officers pointed a gun at him.While raising his hands, the NSHR alleges, a handgun was apparently spotted protruding from Shikongo’s waistband, and the second officer stepped forward to take the weapon from him.”While the officer was removing the gun from Shikongo’s waist, Shikongo allegedly made a commotion and a shot rang out.He dropped to the ground and died instantly,” an NSHR report states.It was not clear at this stage from which gun the fatal bullet was fired, although the NSHR claimed the gun that killed Shikongo was found to be a private pistol belonging to one of the two officers.”(Furthermore) the Police officer who killed Shikongo was formerly based at Eheke village, less than 20 km south-west of Ondangwa.The …officer was apparently not even allowed to carry official weapons as he is deemed to be mentally unstable,” the NSHR said.The human rights watchdog has charged that the two officers in question were either untrained or poorly trained.Adding fuel to the allegations, Shikongo’s sister, Ailly Shikongo, has claimed that, when she tried to phone her brother on the day of his death, his phone was answered by a man who identified himself as “Sergeant Nambahu”.She said this man told her that her brother had been admitted to the Onandjokwe Lutheran hospital and was unable to speak to her.According to her, the officer advised her to first go and speak to him at the Ondangwa Police station before visiting her brother in hospital.Upon her arrival at the Ondangwa Police station, she said, she was asked about her relationship with the man who had been shot, and after being informed that he was her brother the officer allegedly showed little compassion for her.”As you know what kind of work your brother was doing, he is now dead, shot dead by Police because he was found robbing another person’s Bob [ATM] card,” the officer allegedly told her.Asked about the incident yesterday, Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said that a case of murder was being investigated.This case, registered CR 87/05/07 will be forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s office once finalised, Angula said, for a decision on whether or not to prosecute those responsible for Shikongo’s death.This incident happened just a day before Police in Windhoek shot dead two unarmed suspected car thieves and seriously wounded another last Wednesday.Police at the scene said that the suspects in that incident had been speeding towards them, and that they were thus forced to fire to protect themselves.Asked to clarify the rules Police officers have to follow in using firearms, Angula referred to the Police training manual, which he said limits the use of firearms in extreme cases only.”It depends on the circumstances, but according to the Police manual, you are only allowed to use firearms if your life is in danger, or if the suspect tries to flee you may render him incapable of getting away,” Amulunge said.Sources at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) allege that the officers had caught up with Shikongo as he got into a taxi, and allegedly ordered him out of the vehicle without properly identifying themselves.Shikongo was apparently told to raise his hands above his head, while one of the officers pointed a gun at him.While raising his hands, the NSHR alleges, a handgun was apparently spotted protruding from Shikongo’s waistband, and the second officer stepped forward to take the weapon from him.”While the officer was removing the gun from Shikongo’s waist, Shikongo allegedly made a commotion and a shot rang out.He dropped to the ground and died instantly,” an NSHR report states.It was not clear at this stage from which gun the fatal bullet was fired, although the NSHR claimed the gun that killed Shikongo was found to be a private pistol belonging to one of the two officers.”(Furthermore) the Police officer who killed Shikongo was formerly based at Eheke village, less than 20 km south-west of Ondangwa.The …officer was apparently not even allowed to carry official weapons as he is deemed to be mentally unstable,” the NSHR said.The human rights watchdog has charged that the two officers in question were either untrained or poorly trained.Adding fuel to the allegations, Shikongo’s sister, Ailly Shikongo, has claimed that, when she tried to phone her brother on the day of his death, his phone was answered by a man who identified himself as “Sergeant Nambahu”.She said this man told her that her brother had been admitted to the Onandjokwe Lutheran hospital and was unable to speak to her.According to her, the officer advised her to first go and speak to him at the Ondangwa Police station before visiting her brother in hospital.Upon her arrival at the Ondangwa Police station, she said, she was asked about her relationship with the man who had been shot, and after being informed that he was her brother the officer allegedly showed little compassion for her.”As you know what kind of work your brother was doing, he is now dead, shot dead by Police because he was found robbing another person’s Bob [ATM] card,” the officer allegedly told her.Asked about the incident yesterday, Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said that a case of murder was being investigated.This case, registered CR 87/05/07 will be forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s office once finalised, Angula said, for a decision on whether or not to prosecute those responsible for Shikongo’s death.This incident happened just a day before Police in Windhoek shot dead two unarmed suspected car thieves and seriously wounded another last Wednesday.Police at the scene said that the suspects in that incident had been speeding towards them, and that they were thus forced to fire to protect themselves.Asked to clarify the rules Police officers have to follow in using firearms, Angula referred to the Police training manual, which he said limits the use of firearms in extreme cases only.”It depends on the circumstances, but according to the Police manual, you are only allowed to use firearms if your life is in danger, or if the suspect tries to flee you may render him incapable of getting away,” Amulunge said.