An Alex man was remanded in custody awaiting sentencing by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court after he pleaded guilty to shooting a police officer in plain clothes who was on duty, but admitted that it was a case of mistaken identity.
The accused allegedly handed himself over to police after realising his mistake and asked for forgiveness from the court and the victim.
The incident reported in Alex News, Man charged with attempted murder of policeman, week ending 12 February 2016, revealed that on 4 January, the accused with two accomplices flagged down the police officer who was driving with a colleague in a red VW Golf along Florence Maphosho Avenue.
When the police officer stopped, the accused walked to the vehicle. He proceeded to shout at the driver, saying he was someone the accused was looking for. When the officer got out of the car to plead innocence, the accused shot between the officer’s legs, forcing him to flee on foot. The passenger remained in the vehicle and was not threatened.
The accused shot at the officer again but missed, forcing the accused to flee. The officer then returned to his car and reported the incident at Alex Police Station.
The accused later handed himself in and said it was a case of mistaken identity. The gun was not found and the accused was found to have been released from prison after serving a 15-year sentence for armed robbery.
