WINDHOEK - A car thief who was shot and wounded in the leg as he tried to run away from the Windhoek City Police late on Tuesday afternoon in Khomasdal is said to have died.

The car thief, whose name cannot be made public as the police are yet to identify him positively and to inform his next of kin of his death, died in the Katutura State Hospital on Tuesday evening shortly after the police took him there for treatment. Senior Superintendent of the Windhoek City Police and Emergency Management Department, Gerry Shikesho, confirmed the man’s death in a telephonic interview with Nampa on Wednesday morning.

“We have received information that this man died at the Katutura State Hospital on Tuesday evening shortly after he was brought there by the police,” said Shikesho.

The deceased, who is believed to be in his early thirties, on Tuesday went to a car dealership in the capital and pretended to buy a Jeep Cherokee. He then apparently drove the vehicle out of the showroom when a car salesman who had been assisting him went into his office.

When the salesman realised what had happened, he alerted the Windhoek City Police, who pursued the speeding Jeep Cherokee.
The thief however crashed the Jeep into another vehicle at a mini circle in Khomasdal and abandoned the vehicle and ran away.

The police responded by opening fire, and wounded him in the leg. The man was then taken to the Katutura State Hospital for treatment and he died shortly after his arrival there.

The stolen vehicle, which was damaged in the accident, is reported to cost about N$350 000.
Police investigations continue, Shikesho said.