A paramedic was shot in the chest in the early hours of Tuesday morning [December 8] in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain when provincial Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to a call in the area.
Two paramedics were dispatched to Beacon, which is classified as a dangerous area because of the frequent attacks on emergency staff, according to EWN.
When they arrived at the patient’s house, a suspect rushed towards the ambulance, pulled out a firearm and shot through the driver’s side window of the vehicle.
The bullet struck the paramedic in the chest, fortunately, he was wearing his personal bulletproof vest.
He suffered no injuries besides the bruising to the area where the bullet hit, according to SABC New Western Cape.
“The paramedic is severely traumatised and has been for counselling,” said EMS spokesperson Deanna Bessick.
“The incident occurred at 03:30 and SAPS was present at the time of the incident.”
Bessick added that this was not the first violent ordeal the paramedic has experienced while on the job, saying that “he was previously stabbed in the back with a knife in the same area where he and his colleagues render an essential service”.
The paramedic is part of a project aimed at improving service delivery in the Mitchells Plain area, which was set up more than a year ago.
No arrests have been made thus far.
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Picture: Western Cape Government