A MAN intervening in an early morning argument on the Bluff on Thursday, 1 January was rushed to hospital after an off-duty police officer shot him in his arm.
The man stepped in to stop an argument between women at a local hot spot on Bluff Road when he was confronted by the police officer, who was asked why he had intervened, then slapped him in the face.
The officer pulled out a gun and shot at the man, who was standing alongside his wife. The man pushed his wife out of the way and was shot in his right arm. The man was rushed to Wentworth Hospital by friends and later discharged.
On Monday, 5 January the police officer handed himself over to Brighton Beach SAPS detective services and he was charged with attempted murder. A spent cartridge found at the scene was sent for ballistic tests to confirm if it belonged to the 9mm pistol found at the Wentworth home of the shooter on Friday, 2 January. The gun was reported stolen in April 2014 in Pinetown.
The officer appeared in Durban Regional Court on Wednesday, 7 January and was placed back in police custody for further investigation. He will reappear in court on Wednesday, 14 January for a bail application.
A SAPS departmental investigation has been registered against him and he has been suspended with immediate effect.
