Swaziland (eSwatini) police
officers shot a man with epilepsy in the neck at close range, killing him.
His family had called
police to help transport him to hospital for treatment. The killing happened in
front of the family and neighbours.
The man was named by the Times of
eSwatini Sunday as Makhenikha
Mkhwanazi, aged 54, and a father of six.
His family want to know why
police used live bullets on him.
It happened at the family
home at Mdabula, Hlatikhulu, on 27 December 2019.
The Times reported,
‘The family has argued that the deceased was a known patient to the police and
it was not the first time they were called to transport him for treatment after
exhibiting violent behaviour. He was suffering from epilepsy.’
A police spokesperson told
the Times the shot was fired in an attempt to scare the deceased who had
become too violent, but the bullet accidentally went in his neck.
Police in Swaziland have a long history of shooting to
kill. In July 2019 police were criticised in local media for shooting
dead three men who escaped from Big Bend Correctional
Facility. They were hiding in a rondavel in a homestead at Manyeveni, near
Mpaka.
There are several police shootings every year in
Swaziland and not all of them relate to criminals.
In 2012 police
shot a 34-year-old mentally disturbed man seven times, killing him. They had been called to a
disturbance at his home at Lubulini. The man’s family said they had trouble
controlling him and asked for police assistance in getting him to a hospital.
See also
New
‘shoot-to-kill’ fear as Swaziland police gun down three suspects as they flee
Police
killing, family demand answers
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