Shooting was ‘accident’

THE armed response team accused of shooting a 12-year-old boy in Windhoek’s Rocky Crest suburb on Sunday has said that the incident was an accident.

Proforce Armed Response said they were transporting Jaso Vunda to his parents’ home after he was arrested for alleged theft at the Rocky Crest Supermarket. Vunda allegedly took security officers to the wrong address and escaped the vehicle, but was caught.During a second attempt to evade the security officers, Vunda reportedly took off across a dark yard.When security officer Marshall Green pursued him, Vunda collided with him around a corner.”In the course of the collision, the firearm of Green went off accidentally and wounded Vunda,” a statement from the security company said yesterday.The company said the child was not shot as a result of running away from the security officers.Proforce said that on average it arrested about 10 suspects a week, without the use of firearms.It said officers were trained in weaponless techniques to arrest suspects, despite obvious dangers to their own safety.The child was hospitalised at the Windhoek Central Hospital.Vunda allegedly took security officers to the wrong address and escaped the vehicle, but was caught.During a second attempt to evade the security officers, Vunda reportedly took off across a dark yard.When security officer Marshall Green pursued him, Vunda collided with him around a corner.”In the course of the collision, the firearm of Green went off accidentally and wounded Vunda,” a statement from the security company said yesterday.The company said the child was not shot as a result of running away from the security officers.Proforce said that on average it arrested about 10 suspects a week, without the use of firearms.It said officers were trained in weaponless techniques to arrest suspects, despite obvious dangers to their own safety.The child was hospitalised at the Windhoek Central Hospital.