Operation Kalahari soldier charged with attempted murder

By Confidente Reporter

A member of the Namibia Defence Forces who was working as part of the joint police and military Operation Kalahari Desert at the coast has been charged with attempted murder after he shot a fleeing suspect.

The 21-year-old male was reportedly shot early on Saturday morning by an as yet unnamed member of the armed forces, who was taking part in the crime-fighting Operation Kalahari Desert in Kuisebmund.

According to the police at Walvis Bay, the shooting occurred during a police patrol of the area, in which the shooting victim and another person were allegedly seen robbing a third man.

Erongo regional crime investigations coordinator Erastus Iikuyu said in a brief statement that a member of the NDF gave chase to the suspected robbers and fired three warning shots from his service pistol, but when the two suspects kept running he fired another shot, this time striking the victim.

He said the soldier fired a fourth bullet, which “allegedly struck the suspect/victim in the back” with the bullet passing through his stomach, upon which he “fell to the ground and was apprehended.”

The injured man has since been transferred to Katutura State Hospital, where he is reported to be in a stable condition. The police had not yet arrested the implicate soldier, Iikuyu said, but filed a case of attempted murder against him. His military issue firearm has also been withdrawn.

A charge of robbery was meanwhile filed against the injured man.