Niël Terblanché
A 43-year-old police sergeant has been arrested following a deadly shooting incident at the Onhuno Road Traffic Checkpoint in northern Namibia, where Eliud Hamukwaya, 38, was fatally shot on Sunday night.
Hamukwaya was the co-driver of a heavy truck transporting goods.
According to Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the head of the Police’s public relations division, the incident occurred at approximately 22:00 after the truck was stopped by traffic police for failing to produce weighbridge documentation.
Shikwambi said that the main driver presented his driving licence to the officer on duty but was unable to present the necessary papers.
“The officer allegedly requested the driver to park his truck alongside the road, as he could not proceed without the weighbridge document,” Shikwambi said.
She said that the situation escalated when Hamukwaya became involved in the discussion between the main driver and the officer.
Shikwambi stated that Hamukwaya began arguing with the officer, accusing him of routinely targeting him at the checkpoint.
“A fight erupted, and the main driver allegedly separated them,” she said.
Hamukwaya then allegedly returned to the truck, performed a U-turn, and drove towards the checkpoint, where a female officer was manning it.
“The officer fled for her life from the road, and in the process, the sergeant took out his firearm and fired toward the truck,” Shikwambi said.
She added that the bullet struck Hamukwaya in the stomach, killing him instantly.
According to Shikwambi, investigations into the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident are ongoing.
