Police sergeant shot and killed in Walvis Bay robbery

A Police officer from the Walvis Bay Investigative Unit was murdered while attending to a robbery on Wednesday.

The robbery happened at a gambling house around 21h40.

The suspect, whose name is known to the police, was allegedly found in the vicinity attempting to take his life.

National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi says the officer tried to convince the suspect not to take his life, when the suspect opened fire.

The police officer died at the scene.

The suspect fled the scene, hijacked a taxi at Naraville and drove to Swakopmund, where he also reportedly tried to rob people at gunpoint.

Shikwambi says the stolen taxi was found abandoned on Thursday around 01h00 at Mondesa, Swakopmund.

She says the suspect was spotted at a truck port while trying to board a bus at 02h40.

“When the police tried to arrest him, he took out his pistol and tried to grab one of the members’ pistols and wrestled, before several shots were released. The suspect was shot in the stomach in the process and was taken to Swakopmund State Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries,” Shikwambi says.

Both pistols were confiscated for investigation and a murder case has been opened against the officers who conducted the arrest. No murder case was registered at Walvis Bay and neither of the deceased’s next of kin have been informed of the incident yet.

Investigations are still ongoing. Shikwambi describes the incident as a painful reminder of the dangers the police face in the line of duty.

“We are saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague, who was shot by a criminal while executing his mandate of serving and protecting lives and property,” she says.

She cautions the public to stand up against crime and support the police to keep Namibia safe. “Let us obey the law, because crime destroys lives and families,” she says.

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