Pretoria - The security officer who was shot during a robbery at Brooklyn Mall was oblivious to what was happening around him.
Bennie Venter, a security officer with a Pretoria firm, was shot during the robbery of Scoin shop in Brooklyn Mall two weeks ago. He has since been discharged from hospital and is recovering at his mother's house.
Venter told the Pretoria News that he went to the mall to buy photocopying paper while the robbery was taking place and was not attempting to prevent the robbery from taking place, as previously reported.
Venter said his firearm was visible to the public which probably gave the robbers the impression that he was responding to the robbery.
“My office is located close to Brooklyn Mall, at Brooklyn Bridge. I went to Checkers to buy photocopying paper,” said Venter.
Venter said he had been a victim of an unfortunate event because he obliviously walked into a robbery.
“I was walking and I just felt somebody grabbing me by the hand,” said Venter. “When I turned around I saw this guy who said to me 'just stand still’.”
The 43-year-old said one of the alleged robbers attempted to reach for his firearm.
“He immediately went for my firearm so, because of the training I got, I slapped him once and he dropped his firearm and I tried to get his firearm while I was pulling my firearm,” explained Venter.
He told the Pretoria News that he was shot as he was attempting to pull out his firearm.
“On the footage you can see that they were almost done with the robbery and they were about to leave as I was walking past the shop. Then one guy came out and he was the one who tried to take my firearm and I took him down,” said Venter.
“At that point one of his accomplices stepped out of the shop and shot me and I went down on the ground and they took my firearm and they left.”
Venter was shot in the right forearm. The bullet penetrated his arm and body. It went past his right lung and is currently lodged behind his liver.
“After that I was in a lot of pain, and people in the mall were just running and screaming, but some came and tried to help me before the paramedics arrived,” he said.
He told the Pretoria News that he could not recall the events that unfolded 48 hours after the shooting.
“From the Thursday (the day of the shooting) and Friday I couldn't remember anything. But I am well now. I just have to take it one day at a time,” Venter said about his recovery. He said the bullet which is lodged behind his liver would not be removed anytime soon.
“Doctors said they won't remove it in the near future because it's too risky at the moment. So they are just going to leave it there and at a later stage they'll remove it if complications arise. But right now there's no need to take it out.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant Kay Makhubela previously said that no arrests had been made and they were investigating.
Pretoria News