News24 | Free State brigadier shot after standing up to robbers, drives herself and sister to safety

A police officer was shot on Sunday then drove herself to safety.

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A senior Free State police officer was shot and wounded during an armed robbery near Alberton on Sunday morning.

The officer, who holds the rank of brigadier, had driven with her sister to the Kliprivier area to perform traditional rituals when they were accosted by two armed men while returning.

According to Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, the suspects demanded the car keys and the women’s cellphones.

The officer allegedly refused to hand over the keys, prompting one of the suspects to strike her on the head with a firearm and order her into the vehicle.

“While seated in the driver’s seat, one of the suspects shot her in the stomach,” Nevhuhulwi said.

The suspects then searched the vehicle. During the search, one of them discovered a police reflector jacket and alerted his accomplice that their target was a police officer.

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The officer was subsequently shot in the knee as the suspects fled the scene with her sister’s cellphone.

The two women managed to drive to Kliprivier police station. The officer, who was bleeding from her injuries, then drove to the nearest hospital, where she was admitted for treatment.

Police said they were investigating charges of attempted murder and robbery and that those responsible were still at large.

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