An army paramedic (41) accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend about two years ago in Katutura appeared in the Windhoek High Court Wednesday for trial.
The gunman, who claims to be Namibia’s first army paramedic, Johannes Neuaka, stands accused of shooting his girlfriend to death at her residence in the presence of their son.
He faces charges of possessing an unlicensed firearm and discharging it in a public space. Neuaka pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The paramedic did not give reasons for pleading not guilty, opting instead to challenge the state the prove its case.
Neuaka allegedly shot Shane Rittman (25) after she had ended the pair’s five-year relationship. It is alleged that Neuaka dropped off the son at Rittman’s mother before shooting the girlfriend who lived in a backyard shack.
After the shooting, it is alleged that Neuaka fled the scene.
In August 2018, Neuaka told the Katutura Magistrates’ Court that he had picked up the gun in the grass where some youths had dumped it.
According to him, his intention was only to hand over the gun to the police but during the procedure of making it safe, his girlfriend came and grabbed him from behind and the bullet went off.
Neuaka said the shot went off accidentally and it threw him into panic-mode.
“It’s a normal physiological response for any human being. It’s either fight or flight,” he said when he appeared for bail in 2018.
He also said even if he were to flee to other countries like SA for instance where he has family connections, the military police would be after him.
“I believe SA and Namibia have a Memorandum of Understanding in case people abscond,” he weighed in.
