Cheetah Cement deceased guard identified
OTJIWARONGO – A 23-year-old male security guard who succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained in a shooting incident at the Cheetah Cement factory on Friday evening, was identified by his close relatives as Jose Albano Samba yesterday.
Namibian Police spokesperson in the Otjozondjupa region, Maureen Mbeha in an interview with Nampa yesterday said that a 31-year-old male suspect, who happens to have been a colleague of the deceased, was arrested in the matter.
“The deceased was shot once in the stomach allegedly by his colleague and both worked for Amon Security Services, a private company contracted to guard the cement factory,” said Mbeha.
Mbeha added that police’s preliminary
investigations indicate that Samba was knocking off at about 18h00 on Friday, and shortly after he handed over the guarding shift to the suspect, a gunshot sound was heard inside their duty room at the main gate of the factory.
The deceased was taken to the Otjiwarongo State Hospital, from where he was transferred to Windhoek for further medical attention.
“While on the way to Windhoek, Samba died in an ambulance,” Mbeha stated.
Mbeha further revealed that the incident had occurred at approximately 18h00 on Friday evening at the Cheetah
Cement gate, but it was only allegedly reported to the Otjiwarongo police station at about 20h50 the same Friday night.
This resulted in the police not attending to the shooting incident while the crime scene was still fresh with all its concrete facts and evidence intact, she said.
The police then had no choice but to arrest the suspect immediately on a charge of murder.
The suspect will appear in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court today.
Police investigations continue.