Murder suspect dies in Sharpeville police cells after father’s death

A 35-year-old man arrested for allegedly killing his father has died in police custody in Sharpeville, south of Johannesburg.

The cause of death has not yet been made public.

The man was arrested after his 75-year-old father was allegedly assaulted with a ceramic plate during a domestic dispute on Saturday evening.

According to Sharpeville SAPS, the incident happened at about 7.30pm.

Paramedics were called to the scene. They declared the elderly man dead.

A murder case was opened.

The 35-year-old suspect was arrested and detained at the Sharpeville police station.

However, about 26 hours after his arrest, police were alerted that the suspect had become unresponsive in the holding cells.

This incident happened at about 9.24pm on Sunday.

Emergency medical personnel attended the scene and declared him dead.

Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has also been notified.

A postmortem examination will be conducted to establish the cause of death.

Police said the murder and inquest investigations are continuing.

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