A man is in a coma after he was shot in the head, allegedly by a police officer, during an argument at Misty Hills Country Hotel, in Muldersdrift, Gauteng.
The man, who was a guest at the hotel, was shot after he allegedly fought with staff at the hotel on Saturday. It is not yet clear what the argument was about.
In a video of the incident, which has gone viral, the man is seen putting on his underwear as police officers stand around him at the entrance of a room.
One police officer is heard saying, “now you are playing dangerous”, as he approaches with a gun after ostensibly cocking it.
He shouts at the entrance: “Whose playing dangerous? You f****** coward. Come on.”
A woman off screen is heard saying that they are supposed to feel safe around the police, not endangered.
The man then comments that he is ashamed of the police officers. He is then seen grabbing a gun from an officer, saying, “take that gun, shoot me, shoot me”.
The officer’s colleague is seen firing a shot at him and he crumples to the floor, eliciting screams from the woman in the room.
According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), following an argument with staff, the manager had requested that the man leave the premises, and the hotel would refund him. However, he refused.
“… the security and manager followed him to his room and requested him to leave, then he became more aggressive,” said IPID spokesperson Grace Langa.
She said police officers were called to the hotel to assist and, when they arrived, the man started fighting with the police.
“He took a firearm out of the bed drawer, cocked it and one bullet fell down, and it is alleged the victim disarmed one police officer of his firearm.
“The guest (victim) was in possession of two firearms, then one police officer took out his service pistol and shot that guest once in the head,” said Langa.
His wife is believed to have been present.