…COD wants gun control
WINDHOEK – A security guard stands accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a Grade 10 learner at Ella du Plessis Secondary School on Monday.
The learner was reportedly shot in the head with a 9mm pistol by the guard in front of the school gate late on Monday evening. According to the police the security guard became angry over derogatory remarks and a verbal attack apparently launched by the victim prompting him to shoot him in a fit of rage. Eye-witnesses at the scene said the Grade 10 learner, who was in the company of friends peppered the security guard with insults and belittling remarks prompting the fatal shooting. Unable to take the insults anymore the guard lost his temper, took out his service pistol and allegedly shot the boy, who died on the spot while the guard was arrested shortly after the shooting.
The 18-year-old learner was briefly resuscitated on the scene by emergency rescue personnel, but unfortunately he died before they could load him into a waiting ambulance. The victim and his friends apparently also attacked pedestrians along Visarend Street, which passes next to the school hostel. Namibian police spokesperson Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi, who confirmed the incident, told Nampa a group of male learners, including the victim, allegedly started provoking the security guard on Monday evening. The suspect is expected to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court today on a charge of murder, while police continue their investigation.
Recently Congress of Democrats (CoD) leader and sole parliamentarian, Ben Ulenga, cited a shooting incident at Onderombapa in the Omaheke Region last year, and the recent robbery and murder of a comet watcher outside Windhoek as evidence of the need to review gun laws. “The CoD believes there are much too many firearms out there, both licensed and unlicensed, in the hands of irresponsible people,” the party leader stated in a submission to parliament. Namibian Police Inspector General Lieutenant-General Sebastian Ndeitunga is also on record saying it has become “too easy to own” a firearm in Namibia and that there is an urgent need to amend the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1996 to address shortcomings.
By Fifi Rhodes