Johannesburg – The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department officer, who fatally shot Sibusiso Amos in his yard during lockdown level 5 last year, has been found guilty of murder.
Amos was shot inside the yard at his home after an argument broke out between him and the EMPD officers that were chasing patrons from a nearby tavern.
It’s reported that three children that were in the house were also wounded during the shooting.
Amos was shot at close range by live ammunition, whilst standing behind a locked burglar gate.
The bullet was fired from Siphiwe Ndlovu’s shot gun.
The Johannesburg High Court, yesterday, found Ndlovu guilty of murder, three counts of attempted murder and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition.
Ndlovu told the court that he picked up the gun soon after the officer fell down following an attack from members of the community.
He then saw a scuffle inside the yard between Amos and other EMPD officers.
He approached and fired shots towards Amos to scare him off in order to stop the scuffle.
The state advocate, Rolene Barnard, argued that Ndlovu was a former police officer, knowledgeable about gun handling and precautionary measures to take when using guns.
She asked the court to consider that Amos was shot at the sanctity of his own home, unarmed and without any provocation.
Regional Spokesperson for Gauteng Local Division Alex Phindi Mjonondwane said in a statement that the court rejected Ndlovu’s evidence as highly improbable and accepted the evidence by state witnesses and that evidence by state witnesses was more reliable.
The case was postponed to 29 June for arguments in mitigation and aggravation of sentence.
GLD: Sphiwe George Ndlovu was convicted for the murder of Sibusiso Amos, who was fatally shot during the enforcement of level 5 lockdown regulations at Vosloorus in March 2020. pic.twitter.com/fyiyEiVdA8
— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) June 17, 2021
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