The warrant officer will remain in jail for another week
Image: Eye Witness News
A member of the VIP protection unit at the Union Buildings and warrant officer, who shot his wife and daughter to death on Saturday will remain in jail for another week before he applies for bail.
It is said that the 46-year-old officer arrived home on Saturday evening and disappeared into a room where his service firearm was kept after asking his wife to prepare a meal. Moments later the warrant officer fired shots that claimed his 42-year-old wife and 23-year- old daughter in their home in Pretoria West. After he had returned the firearm safely to where it was kept, he took to a neighbour’s house, his 17-year-old son and nephew who were also in the house when the incident occurred. He dropped them off and asked the neighbour to drive him to the police station where he was arrested.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokeswoman Grace Langa said that it said that the couple had an argument in the morning before the warrant officer left for his cousin’s funeral arrangement.
The accused made a brief court appearance before the matter was postponed to next Monday for a formal bail application in which the Independent Police Investigative Directorate is expected to oppose bail. IPID spokeswoman said, “We are opposing, and will still oppose bail. We feel this is serious. We don’t know whether he has grudges with whoever [it may be]. We do not know what led to this. We cannot just let him have access to more people.”
This incident occurred just a few days after a call was made by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union for members of the police force to be provided with trauma counselling and debriefing, as they encountered too much trauma and got depressed in their line of duty.
A similar incident, occurred in Cape Town this morning, a police officer shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself. The officer died on the scene, while the woman is in a critical condition in hospital.
