Benoni man shoots himself in Homestead Dam lavatory

The man reportedly parked his car several metres from the lavatory where his body was found.

John Makola, who works as a cleaner at Homestead Dam, said he had seen the deceased minutes before he died.

“I was sitting on the bench [about 20m away], then looked at the toilet and saw a man smoking outside the building,” he said.

Makola reportedly heard what sounded like a gunshot after the man finished smoking and walked into the lavatory.

He then went into the lavatory and called out for the man, but there was no answer.

“I saw the man inside had blood on his chest. I walked out and called my boss,” Makola said.

Van Nieuwenhuizen said the police had opened an inquest docket regarding the death of the man and added the deceased’s identity could not be released as his family still had to be notified.

In August last year, a man reportedly shot and killed himself in the parking lot of the Bedfordview shopping complex.

It was believed a couple had been arguing and locked themselves in a room at a retail outlet.

The man later emerged from the room with a firearm pointed at his head. He later pulled the trigger, killing himself instantly.

– Caxton News Service