A female Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer has been arrested after allegedly fatally shooting a fellow off-duty officer during a domestic dispute in Protea Glen, Soweto, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
According to the JMPD, the incident occurred at about 3:30am in Glenridge Extension 16 and involved two off-duty female officers.
Preliminary reports indicate that one of the officers had been involved in an altercation with her girlfriend and called a colleague to help transport the girlfriend away from the scene. As the colleague drove off in a white Kia sedan with the girlfriend inside, the suspect allegedly fired seven shots at the vehicle using her service firearm.
The responding officer sustained fatal gunshot wounds, while the vehicle was extensively damaged.
The suspect was arrested at the scene. The identities of both the suspect and the deceased have not been released, pending the suspect’s court appearance and formal notification of the deceased officer’s family.
A murder case has been opened at the Protea Police Station. The South African Police Service processed the scene, while the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has taken over the investigation because a service firearm was used in the shooting.
The JMPD says it is deeply saddened by the loss of one of its members and is cooperating fully with SAPS and IPID investigators. The department says no further comment will be made while the criminal investigation is underway.
