OTJIWARONGO: A 45-year-old security guard of the Namibia Protection Services (NPS) shot himself in the face in an apparent suicide at the Etambi residential area here on Tuesday.

Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Otjozondjupa Regional Investigations’ Crime Coordinator, Moses Khairabeb told Nampa on Tuesday that the deceased, Lemmy van Wyk, was a suspect in an armed robbery which took place at the Kisso Bar in Etambi on Monday.

“It is alleged that Van Wyk pointed a gun at the bar attendant at the Kisso Bar between 10h00 and 11h00 on Monday morning, and later fled the bar with more than N.dollars 7 000,” said Khairabeb.

Van Wyk was found hiding with a shotgun at a relative’s house later on the same day.

He apparently warned some police officers not to come near him, because he was going to open fire on them, said Khairabeb.

“Then we started to monitor his movements. At about 02h00 on Tuesday, we saw him driving a company vehicle towards a house he used to stay in at Etambi. He parked it at that house, left the engine on and never got out of it,” said Khairabeb.

At about 04h00, police officers decided to go straight to the vehicle and found the vehicle’s engine still running.

“Van Wyk was dead already inside the parked vehicle with a shotgun in his hands, and his face blown off,” said Khairabeb.

The NPS armoured vehicle was locked, and the police officers could not open it. They had to tow it to the police station where they broke it open to remove the body.

His family has been informed, said Khairabeb.