Justice for Lavinia
Lavinia Kagola was killed by a stray bullet outside her home at the same time the police were closing a shebeen and fired shots.
The family of 26-year-old Lavinia 'Kalavi' Kagola, who died in a Windhoek hospital after being hit by a stray bullet in the early hours of 1 September, is appealing to the police to bring her killer to justice.
She was shot while police officers conducted a shebeen-closing operation in Katutura's Babylon location.
Lavinia was laid to rest over the weekend at Omaalala village, where her parents said she was deeply loved.
Her mother Johanna Victor and her father Patrick Kagola said their beloved daughter had assisted them with various issues.
The shebeen-closing operation deteriorated into chaos when members of the public started throwing rocks at the police.
Subsequently, warning shots were fired by some officers.
Victor said on that faithful day, her daughter was talking on her cellphone and during the conversation she decided to step outside the house.
“I heard her when she got up and I was even asking why she was going to talk outside. Just at that moment when she got outside, I could hear gunshots; just like a dream, someone came running and told us that Lavinia was shot.
“Just after it was discovered that Lavinia was shot, the police got into their van and drove away. If they could have picked her up and taken her to the hospital on time, she might have survived,” Victor said.
Her father said Lavinia was his pillar of strength.
“This will remain a heavy load on my shoulders until they bring her killer to book. This world has become so evil that people are afraid of other people and will run away from them to save their lives. All I want is justice, so that my beloved daughter's killer can be brought to book,” Kagola said.
Chief police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi, said yesterday investigations are still ongoing.
“The investigation is not conclusive yet. When you come to a scene, everybody has their own stories to tell. There were many stories that I cannot reveal at this stage.”
The Khomas crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Abner Agas, told members of the media soon after the incident that the police could not say exactly what had transpired, because the officers were in one area, while the deceased was quite a distance away from where the violence broke out.
“All we know is that she was hit by a stray bullet in the lower back. It is not clear where the stray bullet originated from and from which firearm it was fired.”
ILENI NANDJATO
She was shot while police officers conducted a shebeen-closing operation in Katutura's Babylon location.
Lavinia was laid to rest over the weekend at Omaalala village, where her parents said she was deeply loved.
Her mother Johanna Victor and her father Patrick Kagola said their beloved daughter had assisted them with various issues.
The shebeen-closing operation deteriorated into chaos when members of the public started throwing rocks at the police.
Subsequently, warning shots were fired by some officers.
Victor said on that faithful day, her daughter was talking on her cellphone and during the conversation she decided to step outside the house.
“I heard her when she got up and I was even asking why she was going to talk outside. Just at that moment when she got outside, I could hear gunshots; just like a dream, someone came running and told us that Lavinia was shot.
“Just after it was discovered that Lavinia was shot, the police got into their van and drove away. If they could have picked her up and taken her to the hospital on time, she might have survived,” Victor said.
Her father said Lavinia was his pillar of strength.
“This will remain a heavy load on my shoulders until they bring her killer to book. This world has become so evil that people are afraid of other people and will run away from them to save their lives. All I want is justice, so that my beloved daughter's killer can be brought to book,” Kagola said.
Chief police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi, said yesterday investigations are still ongoing.
“The investigation is not conclusive yet. When you come to a scene, everybody has their own stories to tell. There were many stories that I cannot reveal at this stage.”
The Khomas crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Abner Agas, told members of the media soon after the incident that the police could not say exactly what had transpired, because the officers were in one area, while the deceased was quite a distance away from where the violence broke out.
“All we know is that she was hit by a stray bullet in the lower back. It is not clear where the stray bullet originated from and from which firearm it was fired.”
ILENI NANDJATO
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article