A police officer is lucky to have been wearing his bulletproof vest when a suspect’s gun went off at the Middelburg Police Station.

Middelburg Observer reports that, according to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, a relief officer entered the office just as a police officer was stumbling to his knees.

Seconds earlier, a gunshot had rung out and chaos ensued.

The public was immediately cleared from the temporary charge office while an ambulance was dispatched, as colleagues believed the officer had been shot in the stomach.

Luckily, he had a bulletproof vest on and the bullet did not penetrate his body.

According to Ndubane, police arrested a suspect earlier in the day at Doornkop on a charge of housebreaking.

At the station, an officer noticed that the 9mm pistol taken from the suspect was cocked. When they attempted to uncock it, the firearm discharged, striking the officer in the stomach.

The bullet, however, hit his vest and no serious injuries were reported.

• The suspect is charged with housebreaking as well as possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
• The front entrance of the police station is under renovation, and the finance office at the back — next to the SAP 13 camp — is being used as the charge office. That is where the incident occurred.
• A female police officer was wounded earlier the same morning while responding to an ATM robbery in eMalahleni. She was shot in the knee and rushed to hospital, where she is still receiving treatment.

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