Father appears in court for shooting wife and son inside hospital casualty ward
The Department of Health has called for a thorough investigation into the suspected security breach
LIMPOPO – The 51-year-old father appeared in the Nebo Magistrate’s Court on 21 January. He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one of pointing of a firearm. The father will remain in custody until his formal bail application on 5 February.
Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said that the father was taken back to hospital for treatment of his injuries after he handed himself over to the police. He was later discharged.
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Tuesday, 21 January 09:45:
LIMPOPO – The Department of Health in the province has requested a thorough investigation into the recent shooting of two people inside a hospital in the Sekhukhune district.
This after a mother and her 25-year-old son were shot inside the casualty ward at the St Ritas Hospital during an alleged domestic feud. According to police reports, the father (51) and son were admitted separately to the hospital for injuries they had sustained during a fight on Sunday at around 20:00 at Riverside next to Jane Furse. It is alleged the son intervened when his father assaulted his mother and when his father turned on him, he protected himself by stabbing his father.
Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said in a statement that an argument allegedly broke out again while in the casualty ward and the father removed his drips, went to his vehicle and came back into the ward wielding a firearm and allegedly shot his son and wife.
According to a report by the department, another woman suspected to be a girlfriend, was with the father at the time and he evaded being searched by security as he carried this woman into the hospital pretending that she was a critically ill patient.
The 51-year-old father has since handed himself over to the police and will appear in the Nebo Magistrate’s Court today, 21 January, on two counts of attempted murder. His licensed firearm has been confiscated and the process of declaring him unfit to possess a firearm has already commenced, Mojapelo added.
The Health Department said the mother sustained critical injuries and was transferred to the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital while the son is in a stable condition at St Ritas Hospital.
Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba has since called for a thorough investigation into the suspected security breach and police investigations continue.
