Oswald Shivute
17 December 2007
Windhoek — NINE people were wounded when revellers fired shots during a wedding reception at Ombundamuti village in the Omusati Region on Saturday afternoon.
The Police arrested three young men but found that only one of them could be charged, said Sergeant Linekela Shikongo.
He said it was difficult to figure out who shot whom, because there were many people at the wedding, "dancing, singing and celebrating".
"The suspect is now with the Police at Outapi, and it is likely that he will be charged in this connection, " Shikongo said.
He confirmed that nine people were admitted to the Outapi Hospital for treatment, and that two or three of them with serious injuries were transferred to the Oshakati State Hospital.
The village headwoman, Asteria Ngoloimwe, who attended the wedding at Kristianus Kashindi's homestead, told The Namibian that three young men - one armed with a shotgun and two with pistols - fired shots into the air and during the celebration.
"We were dancing and singing when suddenly some people started screaming and crying because of gunshot wounds," Ngoloimwe said.
She said the man with the shotgun was among those wounded, as a bullet from one of his friends' pistols struck him.
"Since there were three who had guns and all were firing, we couldn't make out who shot whom.
The whole affair was a kind of a mess, as you heard one crying here and another one there, with blood on their clothes and faces," Ngoloimwe said.
She said some vehicle owners drove the injured people to the Outapi District Hospital, from where three were transferred to Oshakati State Hospital immediately.
Other villagers rushed to the Police, about 25 kilometres from the party, and reported the incident to them.
The Councillor for the Anamulenge Constituency, Josef Kanyenye Aluvilu, condemned the incident, saying that people in his area had been warned not to take guns to parties because it was dangerous.
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