Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Police commits suicide in Pinelands

By Nomava Nobumba
23 February 2010

A 31 year old policeman shot and killed himself in full view of his colleagues in Thornton, Pinelands early this morning.

Pinelands police were called to a block of flats where the constable was involved in an argument with his girlfriend.

Upon police arrival, the constable was standing outside the flats with a pistol in his hand.

Police’s November Filander says despite desperate efforts to get him to surrender the weapon, he suddenly fired two shots into the air and then turned the gun on himself.

“He shot himself on the head and died on the scene,” said Filander.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Condolences to the girlfriend. This is so incredibly sad; one has to wonder whether the policeman wasn't terribly stressed from the pressures of doing his job and whether the buildup spilled out into his relationships with friends and family. The things that policemen see and deal with on a daily basis are horrific; many suffer from secondary post traumatic stress and so badly need debriefing sessions with councillors. What support are policemen getting?

Future of iconic Good Hope Centre soon up for debate

A public participation process awaits approval from the City of Cape Town’s Council in December to release the iconic Good Hope Centre site ...