POLOKWANE – A Mankweng police officer is currently receiving medical attention after sustaining serious injuries while attending to a domestic complaint on Monday night (April 22).

Officers from the Mankweng Police Station were dispatched to the address after a reported domestic incident in Ga-Nchechane village.

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the officers encountered a volatile situation on arrival and found a 46-year-old hostile man armed with a slasher blade and a hammer.

“While attempting to defuse the situation, the suspect attacked the responding officers resulting in one officer sustaining multiple injuries .The suspect continued to assault the officer who was lying on the ground and disarmed him,” his statement read.

Ledwaba added that despite the inherent danger, one of the officers swiftly acted to neutralise the threat posed by the armed suspect which led to him being fatally shot.

“One of the officers sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving medical attention. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has been informed about the incident and investigations are currently underway,” he said.

The provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe condemned the incident and once again urged people to refrain from violent behaviour when faced with domestic related challenges.

“We extend our thoughts and prayers to the injured officer and wish him a speedy recovery,” Hadebe said.