Man who shoots son while cleaning firearm, arrested on two charges

A 41-year-old man has been taken into custody on charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm after he allegedly discharged a firearm while he was cleaning it, injuring his teenage son in December.

The arrest follows an in-depth investigation by the police, revealing disturbing details surrounding the ownership of the weapon that was involved in the shooting.

Unlicensed firearm

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, a probe had to be instituted to find out as to how the young man from Masoyi, in Mpumalanga, got shot.

“It was during the tour of the investigation that the men and women in blue dug deep then unearthed information about the firearm involved.

“They discovered that the man was not the lawful owner of the firearm, but that rather the weapon belonged to his late father in terms of the records,” Mohlala said.

Investigators, conducting due diligence, paid the suspect a visit on Friday, 5 January and discovered that the man lacked a firearm license for the 9mm pistol, leading to his immediate arrest and subsequent charges.

Ballistic testing to check if firearm not used in other crimes

The confiscated weapon will undergo ballistic testing to ascertain whether it has been previously used in the commission of crimes elsewhere.

“At this stage, police cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against him as the investigation continues,” Mohlala emphasised.

Court appearance

The suspect is scheduled to appear at the White River Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 8 January to face charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service (Saps) in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, expressed her concern regarding the proliferation of firearms in violent crimes, including domestic violence incidents.

She commended Saps detectives at Masoyi for their excellent work in apprehending the suspect and confiscating the firearm with ammunition.