Kimberley - A Warrenton police constable committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his service pistol moments after shooting his girlfriend.
Lebogang Serunye, 33, a police constable attached to the Warrenton police station, died in a pool of blood in the lounge of his home in Ikhutseng shortly after shooting his girlfriend, Morongwa Delcia Micheal, 33, at around 10pm on Tuesday evening.
Micheal survived the ordeal and was on Wednesday fighting for her life in the Kimberley Hospital, while Serunye died on the scene.
According to family members, the couple were alone in the house when the incident occurred.
Micheal apparently managed to escape after being shot and ran to her neighbours’ house to seek assistance.
Leaving behind a trail of blood from where she was shot in the lounge of the home, through the kitchen and towards the backyard, Micheal reached the neighbours, who transported her to Kimberley Hospital.
Serunye’s brother, Amogelang, who lives next door to the couple, said that he heard a gunshot and then a woman screaming for help at around 10pm on Tuesday evening.
“It was drizzling and there were other noises outside, so I couldn’t hear exactly how many shots were fired. However, when I went outside I saw my younger brother running into the house and realised that something was wrong. I immediately got into a car and drove to the police station to look for help,” Amogelang said on Wednesday.
He said that he had last seen his brother at around 8pm, after he had returned home from his work shift, and said added that he did not hear an argument or anything out of the ordinary before the shooting.
“He had already changed out of his uniform and everything seemed normal,” Serunye said.
He described his brother as a “good man with a good heart”.
Female family members of Serunye were on Wednesday busy cleaning the house and said that there had been “a massive amount of blood where he had died after shooting himself in the head."
While family members did not want to speculate about what caused the incident, some community members mentioned that “there had been some problems in their relationship” and that Serunye had apparently suspected that Micheal was unfaithful to him.
Police spokesperson, Captain Sergio Kock, on Wednesday confirmed the incident and added that Serunye’s body was found lying on top of his service pistol.
“Police are investigating an inquest into the death of a 33-year-old police constable who is attached to the Warrenton police station."
“It is alleged that on Tuesday, December 5, at about 10pm, the police constable shot his 33-year-old girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself. He was found lying on his service pistol inside their home in Ikhutseng, Warrenton."
“The girlfriend was rushed to hospital for medical treatment while the constable died on the scene."
“The circumstances surrounding the incident is unknown at this stage and the police investigation continues,” Kock said.