A Free State man is expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on two counts of murder.
The man is alleged to have murdered his 35-year-old girlfriend and their one-year-old son.
The provincial police spokesperson, Captain Loraine Earle, alleges the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute.
“On Sunday, September 8, at about 7am, the couple arrived at the residence of the girlfriend and went to sit in a room while the girlfriend's mother was in another room. A few minutes while in there, the two engaged in a fight.
“The girlfriend’s mother attempted to intervene however, they continued fighting. She went to the neighbours for assistance and upon her return, she heard gunshots and rushed into her house. She found her 35-year-old daughter and her one-year-old boy in a pool of blood. The suspect fled the scene,” Earle said.
The police were immediately called to the scene. The mother and son were declared dead at the scene by emergency services personnel.
“A manhunt was launched by the investigation team led by the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit. The 38-year-old suspect was traced and arrested in Botshabelo and the firearm was found in possession of the suspect's brother, who was arrested for the illegal possession of a firearm.
“The suspect, aged 38, and his brother, aged 33, will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, September 10 ,” Earle said.
In a separate incident, a fire at an airshow in Bethlehem at the weekend resulted in the damage of close to 20 cars and the injury of one person.
Police confirmed that 19 cars were burnt following a fire at an airshow in Bethlehem.
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