The intense police hunt for a middle-aged Botswana Defense Force officer, who recently went on a shooting spree in Tonota, injuring his girlfriend and her mother in the process, came to a resounding end on Friday when the officer’s parents dragged him to the police station and handed him over.
The army officer, Lance Corporal Batsile Kesupile of Tonota, made a brief appearance before the Francistown magistrates’ court following his arrest after a three day manhunt.
Superintendent Reuben Mphoeng of Tonota police station on Friday confirmed the arrest, saying that Kesupile would be charged with two counts of attempted murder.
The service rifle that was used to commit the crime, together with a magazine loaded with ten live rounds, as well as eight empty cartridges, were all recovered at the crime scene.
It emerged that Kesupile went to his parents’ house in Tonota after being on the run for three days, and his parents immediately handed him over to the police on Friday.
The two victims are admitted at Nyangabwe Hospital in Francistown where they are recovering from the gunshot wounds. Mphoeng could not reveal the motive behind the shooting as the police are still to interview the victims.
BDF spokesperson, Major Ben Ragalase, could not comment on the issue.
The Sunday Standard is also informed that the suspect has all along been communicating with one of his relatives, enquiring whether the two victims had died or not.
Another relative, who refused to be identified, told The Sunday Standard that the suspect is believed to have harboured an intention to sneak into the hospital and finish off the victims.
