One Okahandja resident who heard the fatal shots that ended the lives of five robbery suspects on Tuesday after 23h00 said he first heard a tyre burst, and then what sounded like semi-automatic assault rifles being fired.
Another resident, who also heard the gunshots and also wanted to remain anonymous, said she heard more than 10 shots.
“When I went out of the room to light my cigarette around 23h00, I heard gunshots, they sounded like they were in my yard.
First I heard a tyre burst, and I think one of the drivers lost control of the car and it overturned, then I heard gunshots that sounded like [that from] AK-47 guns,” recalls one of the residents of Smarties Extension 16 at Okahandja.
He said when he woke up the next morning, he could not see anything as officers were already cleaning the scene.
The incident happened on the Natis road at Okahandja, at the corner of Samuel Maharero Street.
Blood stains and brake marks could be seen at the scene a day after the incident.
Another resident said she heard four gunshots at first and then later more bullets were fired.
“We do not know who was shooting who, but it was more than 10 gunshots.”
The police recently said the alleged robbers were on their way to rob the gambling house, JS Slots, at Okahandja.
A representative of JS Slots, who asked to remain anonymous, says they were not aware of anything related to the robbery.
“We did not hear anything, nobody told us anything. Yesterday morning when I arrived at Okahandja, I was like, what the hell happened here at the scene? Later, I read they were allegedly going to rob our place.”
COPS REMAIN MUM
Meanwhile, the Namibian Police have still not released an official crime report on the killing of the five alleged robbery suspects near Okahandja on Tuesday night.
Khomas police spokesperson warrant officer Silas Shipandeni said yesterday the police could not share any information about the matter.
“The inspector general [Joseph Shikongo] advised that we should not give out further information until they are done compiling the crime report,” he said.
So far, the police have provided sketchy details of the incident, besides saying one suspect was still on the run.
Police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi confirmed that five alleged robbers were killed by Namibian Police and Windhoek City Police officers between Okahandja and Windhoek.
She also said the police are waiting for a full report from the Otjozondjupa regional police commander.
Shikwambi also confirmed that one suspect remains on the run after a failed attempt to rob a gambling house.
President of Namibia Economic Freedom Fighter Epaphras Mukwiilongo said the incident is very disturbing.
“The police followed these young boys from Windhoek before they even arrived at the place they were allegedly going to rob. They decided to shoot them and took the lives of these young boys. I don’t know what’s the issue with the Namibian Police and the youth,” he said.
Mukwiilongo said one of the causes of this is unemployment.
“Why did they not allow the guys to arrive at the place they were going to rob and catch them red-handed? What if they were not going there, why did they not inform the police at Okahandja instead of taking guns?”
Mukwiilongo said most police officers from the serious crime department are criminals that are working alongside the robbers.
“Some of those officers bribe criminals and ask them to give them money after a successful heist for them not to go ahead with their cases. If they [robbers] refuse, they threaten to make life difficult for the robbers,” he said.
Mukwiilongo said killing five people at once indicates there is criminality in the police force.
“That’s a total lie, those boys did not shoot.
“How will they shoot if they did not even steal anything, people will only shoot if they could have robbed something. This is a deadly killing from the police, those boys did not shoot at all, the police just suspected and started shooting,” he said.
“Chinese steal our natural resources every day during broad daylight, but the police never stop their trucks or arrest them, but now they are killing young people for alleged suspicious [sic] robbery,” he said.
COUSIN SPEAKS
A family member of one of the five robbery suspects killed by the police at Okahandja on Tuesday spoke to The Namibian after a death notice for Erikki ‘Akawa’ Martin (29) was posted on social media.
One of Martin’s cousins, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Martin was among the five men shot at Okahandja on Tuesday night.
“We heard it on the news and we went to the mortuary to confirm.”
He said something does not add up because it appears as if the police knew what they were doing.
“The police killed them, how could you follow someone from Windhoek and not warn the police at Okahandja or even at the roadblock, if they knew they were going to rob [a gambling house]?”
In June 2020, New Era reported that Martin was one of the wanted criminals in a robbery in Windhoek.
At the time, deputy commissioner Shikwambi said the wanted criminals allegedly broke into a vehicle and stole 90 brand new cellphones at Wernhil to the tune of N$150 000.
By yesterday, several reports emerged on social media linking the alleged suspects to previous criminal activities.
Some of the alleged robbers were linked to the robbery of a German family in 2017.
It is alleged that the robbers followed the rental car of the family and started hitting one of the victims in the face through the driver’s window.
The robbers allegedly took the keys of the tourists’ vehicle, leaving the visitors stranded.
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