Festus Hamalwa
Two men are in a stable condition in the Oshakati state hospital after they were shot and wounded by a bar owner in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
The men were shot while the bar owner, with the help of the police, led a pursuit of suspected burglars at Oshitayi outside Ondangwa in the wee hours of Monday. At the time of the shooting, the victims, aged 27 and 46, were reportedly rushing to a pickup point at 04h00 to report for duty.
Police spokesperson Frieda Shikole confirmed the incident, saying the bar owner and the police officers are trailing fresh footprints of the suspected burglars.
“When they reached Omashaka location, the footprints went in different directions and were not clearly visible, so the police and bar owner went in different directions,” said Shikole.
She said when the bar owner separated from the police, he allegedly spotted two men running towards the railway crossing.
He allegedly attempted to stop them, but they ignored the calls, prompting him to shoot at them, injuring them in the leg and back.
After hearing gunshots, the police responded and took the victims to the Onandjokwe hospital before they were later transferred to Oshakati.
Shikole said preliminary investigation indicates that the two men were not part of the burglary.
The suspect (46) by Tuesday morning was not arrested, but his firearm was confiscated.