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The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) is investigating the discharge of a firearm by a sergeant believed to be attached to the flying squad in the Western Cape, which left his girlfriend injured.
According to an internal police report, the sergeant shot and wounded his partner late on Sunday evening on an open field behind Lingelethu-West police station in Khayelitsha. The couple were at Rands — a popular lifestyle and entertainment venue — when an argument took place between them.
Afterwards the officer, accompanied by his partner, drove to a nearby field behind the police station, where he fired two shots, wounding her in the ankle and thigh.
After the shooting incident, the sergeant’s brother took the car and firearm, but the firearm was reportedly later stolen in a robbery
Western Cape spokesperson officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed an attempted murder case had been registered at the Lingelethu-West police station on Sunday, but could not comment further on the matter, referring inquiries to Ipid “as the matter is now the subject of an investigation by the mentioned department”.
Lizzy Suping, the spokesperson for Ipid, confirmed that the independent police body had received information from the South African Police Service about the discharge of a firearm by a police officer and was still gathering information.
By Monday afternoon, Suping could not confirm whether the police officer had been arrested on a charge of attempted murder.