Shebeen shooting rampage case sent to High Court

A FORMER nurse at the Katutura State Hospital who is accused of shooting dead three people in a shebeen in Windhoek in early February last year heard on Friday that he is set to be tried in the High Court.

Triple murder suspect Jekonia Dimbulukweni Hamukoto will face three counts of murder, three charges of attempted murder, alternatively negligent discharge or handling of a firearm, and counts of pointing of a firearm and discharging a firearm in a public place or public road when he goes on trial. Hamukoto was informed of this when he made his latest appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura.Appearing before Magistrate Tuyenikelao Haikango, Hamukoto was told that the Prosecutor General has decided to indict him on those eight charges and that he has to attend a first pre-trial hearing in the High Court on July 24.Hamukoto has been in Police custody since February 2 last year.He was arrested at the scene where three people – Jonas Erastus (22), Festus Aaron (25) and Boni Shuudeni (25) – had been shot dead at Kondjeni Bottle Store, a shebeen at the Katutura Single Quarters, at about 13h45 that Friday.Another three people were seriously injured in the shooting.It is alleged that Hamukoto, who was trained in Cuba as a nurse and was working at Katutura State Hospital at the time of the incident, was at the shebeen when he noticed that his cellphone was missing.He allegedly accused fellow patrons in the shebeen of having stolen his phone and issued an ultimatum that the phone should be returned, before he started firing off shots with a licensed 9 mm pistol that he was carrying with him.Hamukoto has admitted that he was responsible for the shooting, but denies that he intended killing anyone.He pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and three counts of attempted murder on April 27 last year.Hamukoto was informed of this when he made his latest appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura.Appearing before Magistrate Tuyenikelao Haikango, Hamukoto was told that the Prosecutor General has decided to indict him on those eight charges and that he has to attend a first pre-trial hearing in the High Court on July 24.Hamukoto has been in Police custody since February 2 last year.He was arrested at the scene where three people – Jonas Erastus (22), Festus Aaron (25) and Boni Shuudeni (25) – had been shot dead at Kondjeni Bottle Store, a shebeen at the Katutura Single Quarters, at about 13h45 that Friday.Another three people were seriously injured in the shooting.It is alleged that Hamukoto, who was trained in Cuba as a nurse and was working at Katutura State Hospital at the time of the incident, was at the shebeen when he noticed that his cellphone was missing.He allegedly accused fellow patrons in the shebeen of having stolen his phone and issued an ultimatum that the phone should be returned, before he started firing off shots with a licensed 9 mm pistol that he was carrying with him.Hamukoto has admitted that he was responsible for the shooting, but denies that he intended killing anyone.He pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and three counts of attempted murder on April 27 last year.