WINDHOEK – A 20-year-old man was allegedly tortured and fatally shot in Katutura on Friday night as horrified neighbours and bystanders watched the gruesome murder scene unfold.
Eyewitnesses said the two killers, both security guards, tied the deceased to burglar bars inside a house and beat him severely before firing two bullets into his chest and stomach. According to the police, the young man was a high school pupil. The two security guards were arrested early Saturday morning.
City Police Chief Abraham Kanime said a fight broke out between the two security guards and the deceased teenager Jesaja Kaipiti.
After tying up and killing Kaipiti on the spot the guards fired off more rounds with some of the bullets hitting a wall, while a bystander was struck in the right hand.
The injured bystander was treated by paramedics at the scene. It is not yet clear what led to the argument which occurred before the shooting, and police investigations continue.
The bystanders however related to New Era that the young man was accused of stealing a wallet from the security guards. According to witnesses at the scene, they saw how the suspects tied up Kaipiti with handcuffs inside a house before beating him repeatedly.
One of Kaipiti’s friends said he ran to the scene when he heard the deceased screaming but the gate of the house was locked, upon which he broke the fence to try and save his friend. However, he could not get inside the house as the door was also locked. He then broke a window but was shot in the hand by one of the suspects as he was trying to grab the gun.
Unstopped, the deceased’s friend then jumped on the roof and ripped open one side of the roof before jumping inside the house where a scuffle ensued between him and the suspects.
Another eyewitness, Venaani Vanjenga, an opposite house neighbour said he got a call from the deceased’s friend that the two guards were beating the deceased. Vanjenga said they ran to help but the gate was locked and pleaded with one of the security guards to stop beating the deceased.
“While we were watching, we could hear one of the suspects saying I will shoot you. Then he shot the guy,” she said, adding that it was then that Kaipiti’s friend jumped into the house through the roof.
Reeling in shock, family and friends of Kaipiti said that he was a quiet and humble person who always minded his own business.
He is survived by his parents, two brothers and two sisters.
• Additional reporting by Nampa
By Magreth Nunuhe