2006-10-23Staff Report 2 "By Francis Mukuzunga WINDHOEK In a bizarre case of attempted murder, a 16-month-old girl is battling for her life in the Windhoek Medi-Clinic intensive care unit after allegedly being shot in the chest by her father at a house in Khomasdal on Friday night. Police in Windhoek say the seemingly enraged man also allegedly shot and seriously wounded three other people from the same family. The tragic incident is said to have taken place at around 20h00 at Garnet Street in the Parkfoods area of the suburb. At a press briefing yesterday, police spokesperson Sergeant Stephan Nuuyi said the shooting occurred following a heated argument between the man and his wife. The infuriated husband is alleged to have then opened fire on his young daughter, his wife, son and sister-in-law. The suspect is now in police custody and expected to appear in court this week. Police yesterday gave the name of the girl as Sissie Endjala. The other survivors are mother of the girl Priscilla Endjala (28), her brother Franco Endjala (8) and sister-in-law, Dorothy Gatyehe, whose age was not given. The suspect is said to have shot and wounded his wife and daughter in the chest, the son in the left leg and sister-in-law in the abdomen. Except for Sissie who is in a critical condition at Medi-Clinic, the rest were admitted to the Windhoek Central Hospital. Medical staff at the intensive care unit of the hospital declined to give any details when New Era visited the wards yesterday. Instead, they referred all queries to the hospital superintendent, Dr Rheinhardt Gariseb, who was not available. New Era also visited the house where the family stay in Khomasdal and was told by the landlord, who would not divulge his name, that he was told that the suspect, who is believed to be a manager at a chain supermarket in Katutura, had an argument with his wife over some domestic issue. The landlord said he heard gunshots from the backyard flat that the Endjala family was renting and went to investigate. A distress call was made immediately to the police and ambulance and the injured were taken to hospital. The suspect is alleged to have fled the scene but was later arrested by Windhoek police who also recovered the firearm. The unpleasant scene shook the landlord, who could not shed much light on the incident other than that he knew the suspect as a quiet and sober-minded person. ""All we heard were gunshots and screams. We did all we could to assist and that's all I can say at the moment,"" said the landlord. None of the neighbours were willing to comment on the issue but from their grim faces it was clear that the incident had sent shivers throughout the whole neighbourhood. A woman from an opposite house could only point to the house where the shooting occurred before disappearing when asked to comment. She too looked afraid. A young teenage girl from the same neighbourhood pointed in the direction of the house and said she heard gunshots on the fateful night. Over the past few months, cases of murder and attempted murder through shootings have been on the increase. Police have partly attributed these to the possession of illegal firearms by individuals and are appealing against the use of such weapons. Sergeant Nuuyi said police would soon embark on another firearms clean-up campaign within the major areas of Namibia before the festive season starts, as such incidents tend to be on the rise around this time. ""The routine programme (of searching for illegal firearms) is still going on except for special operations such as the one carried out in Katutura in September,"" said Sgt Nuuyi yesterday. ""We are just waiting for the commander of the police to give us the go-ahead so that we can start the clean-up operation."" In another incident of attempted murder, on Friday afternoon, Paulus Shilongo (36) of Wanaheda location was shot and injured in the stomach by a 34-year-old suspect after he started to shoot indiscriminately at people gathered at his mother's house in Katutura. The suspect, who is a brother to the victim, was arrested and both firearms were confiscated. At Keetmanshoop in the Karas Region on Saturday, a 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly stabbing a man in the chest with a knife. The victim was rushed to Windhoek for medical attention and is reported to be in a serious condition. The incident is believed to have happened at around 22h00 at a sports bar in the Tseiblaagte area." 2006-10-23Staff Report 2
