Grandmother of Westbury Shooting Victims Spoke Up About Threats to Their Lives
- The grandmother of the two teenagers who were shot in Wetbury, Johannesburg, said their lives were under threat
- Two victims were killed when a group of suspects opened fire at a group of seven teenagers sitting outside a house
- The woman spoke about the drastic steps the children took after they received multiple threats to their lives
Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.
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WESTBURY, JOHANNESBURG — The grandmother of two of the Westbury shooting victims opened up about how their lives were in danger.
According to Eyewitness News, Maureen Davis, the grandmother of two of the children, who were rushed to the hospital after the shooting, said that they stopped going to school after the second term. She added that the gang, which allegedly shot them, would wait for them after school and threaten them.
Davis also said this was the second time there had been a shooting incident at her household. She suspected that the alleged shooters were from another section of Westbury. Davis added that she had been trying to protect her grandchildren and their friends from the threats.
What happened in Westbury?
According to the South African Police Service, a group of children was standing outside of Davis's house when four men entered the property. Three of them opened fire on the group before fleeing. Two of the teenagers were fatally shot. Five teenagers were rushed to the hospital. A 16-year-old is in critical condition.
The police confirmed that the murder was gang-related, and the police were conducting an anti-gang operation when the shooting took place. Eyewitnesses provided affidavits and clear camera footage, which showed the suspects' faces.
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Senzo Mchunu weighs in on the shooting
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu weighed in on the shooting. He appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating corruption in the criminal justice system. He lamented the killings and said that the killings were not supposed to happen. Mchunu said that had the issue of gang violence been handled differently, the incident could have been prevented.
Westbury community and cops blame each other
In a related article, Briefly News reported that members of the community blamed poor policing for the fatal Westbury shooting, which claimed two lives. The police, in turn, blamed members of the community.
The deaths of Tigan Du Plessis and Diegan Ryters caused anger in the community. Members of the community accused the police of not doing enough. They said that if there were better policing, the suspects would have been apprehended. The police pointed their fingers at the community. National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, who visited the area, said that members of the community do not come forward to report incidents.
He said that if a member of the community was present when a crime was committed, they are witnesses and must be prepared to testify in court.
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Source: Briefly News
