Kimberly - A 69-year-old city woman was knocked down and killed by a police vehicle which was travelling down Barkly Road while on patrol in the area.
Spokesman for the police, Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana, on Wednesday confirmed that the Roodepan police are investigating a case of culpable homicide following the death of Rosalyne Morris, from Homestead, who was killed instantly after she was knocked down by a police vehicle.
“The incident took place at about 11.40am (on Wednesday morning). It appears as if the woman was crossing the road at the time of the incident.
“She was certified dead on the scene by the paramedics. The investigation is continuing,” Tawana said.
Witnesses at the scene told reporters that the woman was coming from the shops and stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the robot to turn green.
“Two police vehicles approached at a high speed. The one in front had its siren on. When the robot turned green, Morris started to cross the road.
“She was just about to approach the middle of the road when the second police vehicle knocked her down.
“She flew across the road and she died instantly,” an eyewitness said.
“I just heard a sound and saw her blue and white jersey flying through the air,” another man at the scene said. “The sound of the knock was extremely loud. The police vehicle stopped and the ambulance was called.”
Family members of the deceased arrived at the scene shortly after the incident to discover that the body in the road was that of their mother.
The victim’s son, Kevin Morris, was in a state of shock and was treated by medical emergency services personnel.
“The police said they will get back to us because an investigation must still be done to determine what actually took place,” he later told the DFA. “My uncle paced off 46 steps from where my mother was walking to where her body was lying, and from the body to the vehicle another 90 steps.
“This clearly shows that the vehicle was speeding at the time of the incident,” Morris added. “My mother was a sociable, kind and lovable woman in the community and will be missed.”
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