Maun policeman kills girlfriend

| Thursday October 9, 2014 15:10

The officer shot the 25-year-old woman (name withheld for now) at her home with a suspect service rifle.

The public relations officer at the Botswana Police Service (BPS) Christopher Mbulawa confirmed the incident. He said that the murder took place at around 8pm but was reported to the police at 9pm.

“The police are investigating a murder incident involving one of the police officers stationed in Maun,” said Mbulawa, adding that “the police suspect that the police officer may have used a service rifle in committing this crime. The rifle was found at the scene”.

Mbulawa said the shooter “has since been hospitalised as he was found with injuries to his neck. Investigations are underway”.

Mmegi has learnt from close relatives that the officer allegedly had misunderstandings with the deceased, who is a mother of their five-year-old son.

One source who preferred anonymity told Mmegi that “the couple apparently started having fights since Saturday but all hell apparently broke loose on the fateful Tuesday night”.

“I hear the man was still on duty and was supposed to knock off at 10pm.  But he found his way home and called the deceased to the car, who at the time had only wrapped herself with a towel,” said the source.

The arguments apparently continued by the parked vehicle, and witnesses say the woman was seen taking to her heels. 

“The girlfriend fled from the police vehicle then he pulled out the rifle. The woman tried to escape from the man, running into one of the tenants renting at the place. He threatened to kill them both,” said the witness.

Another onlooker said the officer then opened fire shooting dead his girlfriend.

“The bullets of the AK47 were on automatic mode… After killing her, he dashed to the house. I think he was looking for their son maybe to kill him too,” said the second witness.

The shooter is said to have then fled the scene in his personal car.  This is not the first time the neighborhood has experienced such a traumatic incident. 

In 2009 Constable Tshepiso Sebetlela shot dead Mothusinyana Sephiri of Sanyedi ward, not far from where the latest shooting took place. Sebetlela was eventually charged with murder. Sebetlela claimed during the inquest that he shot Sephiri by mistake.