The man who shot and killed a Grassy Park police officer was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Cape Town’s Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court.
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The 44-year-old suspect, Denzil October, a known gangster was found guilty of the murder of 26-year-old Constable Ashwin Pedro, the attempted murder of another police officer, illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.
He entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State.
Pedro was shot dead while he and his colleague were on patrol in Parkwood in December 2022.
The defendant was sentenced to eight years in prison for robbery, 30 years in prison for the murder of Constable Pedro, five years in prison for the attempted murder of Constable Theodore Henry, 15 years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm, and two years in prison for illegal possession of ammunition.
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Eric Ntabazalila, the Western Cape spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), stated that the sentence totaled 60 years.
He claimed that this brought his total sentence to 60 years in prison, but the court ordered that all of the sentences run concurrently with the sentence imposed for murder.
‘The court declared him unfit to possess a firearm,’ Ntabazalila said.
On December 1, 2022, a member of the public approached two police officers driving back to the station after patrolling the area.
Officers were informed that a man with blonde hair, wearing an orange t-shirt and blue trousers, was carrying a firearm.
According to the court, the officers spotted the suspect walking down Blackbird Avenue in Parkwood and drove towards him.
Pedro approached the suspect and ordered him to raise his hands, but the assailant pulled out a firearm.
Constable Henry joined his colleague, grabbed the suspect’s right hand, and attempted to restrain him.
October resisted and grabbed Constable Henry’s firearm with such force that it broke free from the safety retention cord.
The court heard that after ripping the firearm from the officer’s holster, October began running away, and the officers pursued him.
October began shooting at the police officer, wounding Constable Pedro.
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He was later arrested at his Ravensmead home, where police found Henry’s firearm and an empty magazine in a wendy house behind the main house.
‘The 44-year-old father of three, is no stranger to the courts, as he has previous convictions for robbery, assault common, housebreaking with intent to assault, attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm, on three occasions,’ Ntabazalila said.
Addressing the court, State Prosecutor Advocate Luzaan Williams stated that the phenomenon of attacks on law enforcement officials was egregious and had become especially prevalent in the Western Cape and across the country.
She claimed that the robbery and murder occurred while the two police officers were on duty conducting crime prevention patrols, and she went on to explain how Pedro’s death devastated his family and colleagues, who unveiled a mural in his honour.
Also read:
Update: Anti-Gang Unit arrest for Grassy Park police shooting
Picture: South African Police Service / Facebook