Windhoek
An on-duty police officer was struck and killed by a truck after its driver failed to stop at the Windhoek-Okahandja police roadblock along the B1 road on Monday evening.
The police officer, identified as Desmond Gaseb, 24, was pronounced dead at the accident scene and his next of kin have been informed.
The accident happened at around 22h00 when the driver from a beverages company, name withheld, driving from the direction of Okahandja bumped the officer.
Police spokesperson Slogan Matheus said the truck driver failed to comply with road signs that required him to stop.
“The police officer was on duty and had a reflective jacket on. He stood on the white line, in line with orange cones dividing the lanes. The driver drove over the cones and bumped the police officer,” Matheus told New Era yesterday afternoon.
Matheus said after the accident the driver drove a few metres from the scene and brought the truck to a standstill before fleeing on foot.
He said the 27-year-old driver was arrested yesterday morning around 10h00 at his home in Goreangab. He has been charged with three cases – culpable homicide, leaving an accident scene without determining the nature of injury and reckless or negligent driving.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court today.