Police constable Ashwin Pedro was killed in December 2022.
- A court has sentenced police killer Denzil October to 30 years in prison.
- October had three previous convictions.
- The Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions welcomed the verdict.
The police killer who took the life of Constable Ashwin Pedro will spend 30 years in prison.
Denzil October, 44, shot and killed Pedro in December 2022 as he and his colleague, Officer Theodore Henry, responded to a report of a man with a gun in the Grassy Park neighborhood.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazarira said on Friday that Mr October was effectively sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court.
October, who entered into a plea deal and sentencing agreement with the state, is sentenced to 30 years for murder, eight years for robbery, five years for attempted murder, 15 years for illegal possession of a firearm, and two years for illegal possession of ammunition. was announced.
On the day of his murder, Pedro asked October to raise his hand and disarm him. But he refused and grabbed what looked like a gun from his back.
Henry intervened.
”[He] I grabbed it [October’s] “I tried to restrain him by holding his right hand, but he resisted and grabbed Officer Henry's firearm with such force that the safety cord came loose,” Ntabazarira said.
Read | Sapu's proposal to label police killings as treason meets skepticism
“After stripping Officer Henry's firearm from his holster, [October] The two police officers began to flee in hot pursuit. He fired at them, fatally wounding Officer Pedro. ”
October was later arrested at his home in Ravensmead, and police recovered Henry's gun, including an empty magazine, at Wendy's house behind the main house.
Mr Ntabazarira said he had three convictions in October for robbery, common assault, burglary with intent to assault, attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Nicolette Bell welcomed the verdict, hailing Pedro as a soldier who died with his boots on.
News24 previously reported that Pedro's father, Melvin Pedro, described his eldest son as a polite person who loved to sing and shared a special bond with his mother.
“He had [singing] It is still very difficult to accept the voice of the angel and that his voice will no longer be heard in the house. I miss him already. Nothing will ever be the same for us again,” he said after his son's murder.
Melvin was watching TV when his wife, Lynette, received a call informing their family about the shooting. He ran to the police station, where police officers took him away and found his son lying covered in blood.