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Police officer and two patients dead after Cape Town hospital shooting

The gunman involved in a fatal shooting in New Somerset Hospital in Cape Town last Saturday (7 May) is a former police officer, who apparently suffered from severe depression. He appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday facing three counts of murder, reports EWN.

Drama unfolded at the hospital in Green Point on Saturday afternoon when a scuffle broke out between a man and a police officer. The man managed to disarm the officer, shooting him first. According to police, he then went to a ward where he shot two patients, one being Gerrit Carolus, 48, from Laingville in St Helena Bay. The second victim’s name is not yet known. Both men died at the scene.

Daily Maverick reports that Constable Donay Phillips, 32, from Sea Point police station, succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Members of Carolus’s family said he had suffered from bipolar disorder since 1992 and had been receiving treatment for a leg injury that had turned gangrenous. He was admitted to the hospital on 6 April and was due to have his leg amputated on Sunday. On Sunday morning, Carolus’s mother, Magrieta Carolus, his sister Amanda Bodkan and other family went to the hospital and were briefed by Dr Jacques Hendricks.

The doctor said Carolus had been booked into the hospital as a psychiatric patient, and shared the ward with five other patients.

A man suspected of involvement in a robbery was in an adjoining ward being guarded by Constable Phillips. A patient in Carolus’s ward was discharged at 3pm on Friday, but returned and reportedly smashed a light. Phillips went to investigate.

“There was a scuffle and the suspect disarmed the police officer and shot him in the head. The suspect then allegedly went back to the ward and shot Gerrit and the unknown person in the head,” said Hendricks.

Sea Point station commander Colonel Helena Mouton described Phillips as a dedicated and well-disciplined police officer who performed his duties with pride. “He was a very neat police constable who was exemplary in conduct and friendly. In uniform, he carried the SAPS badge with dignity. The pain the station members feel will linger for days,” Mouton said.

Parliament’s portfolio committee on health, which visited the hospital on Monday, expressed concern about the conditions of the institution, and its surroundings, particularly an “overcrowded” building nearby.

The visit was to obtain more information on what transpired during the tragic shooting.

Chairperson of the committee, Kenneth Jacobs, commended the staff for their bravery and dedication, particularly nursing sister Dianne Seale, who eventually managed to calm the shooter. But the committee expressed concerns about the conditions of the hospital and its surroundings

The committee said it was important to place emphasis on security at health facilities, not only at entrances, but also on the perimeter, so as to strengthen the safety of hospitals.

Previously, they added, there used to be specific regulations about what could take place on the roads and immediate surrounds of a hospital.

They also called for “vigorous engagement and discussion” on the issue of police officers entering hospitals with loaded firearms.

They sympathised with the families of the deceased, particularly of Phillips, who was disarmed and shot in the head. He was transferred to Groote Schuur Hospital in a critical condition, but later died. Jacobs suggested that Phillips be honoured with a posthumous award for his courage and dignity.

In the meantime, Jean-Paul Malgas appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Tuesday to face three charges of murder, charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and a charge of robbery relating to taking Phillips' service pistol.

He abandoned his bail application and will return to court on 30 June for further witness statements to be gathered, and for an identity parade to be held.

In court it was revealed that he suffers from severe depression, which is why he had been in hospital. The court also heard that Malgas is suicidal and not in a good frame of mind. The father of four from Vredenberg was a police member between 2002 and 2007 and left the service as a constable in the West Coast town of Hopefield. Since then, he’s been unemployed.

 

Daily Maverick article – Police officer and two patients dead after shooting inside Cape Town hospital (Open access)

 

EWN article – Accused in New Somerset Hospital shooting has depression, court told (Open access)

 

See more from MedicalBrief archives:

 

Patient, nurses, attacked at Mediclinic Brits by man wielding drip stand

 

More violent incidents reported at Soweto mental health hospital

 

Hospitals of fear: Police and guards ‘run away’ during attacks on patients

 

Nursing union threatens to remove staff after shootings in Limpopo casualty

 

Bara condolences to family of man killed by psych patient

 

 

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