Family witnesses fatal shooting
Police are investigating the murder of Pinetown resident, Kevin Launspach.
PINETOWN resident, Kevin Launspach (37), was fatally shot in full view of his wife, sister and brother-in-law during an attempted hijacking in Sarnia last Friday.
According to the victim’s sister Bronwen Coetser, she and her husband, Hendry, had plans to go out for supper with her brother Kevin and his wife, Lindsey. Kevin was an hour late, and hooted to signal his arrival at his sister’s home in Glen Place, Pinetown. Bronwen said it was raining so she ran to the car while Hendry locked the gate when Kevin arrived.
“Hendry noticed a white small vehicle approaching slowly, he assumed they were lost and offered to help. As he approached the car, three armed men alighted from the vehicle. One put a gun to his head and told him to get on the floor, the other two approached Lindsey’s car, pointed their guns to Lindsey’s head and my chest and demanded our cellphones and cash, which we gave them,” said Bronwen.
She said the man who held a gun to Lindsey’s head told her to move down, while he pushed her to the side of the car and then fired a shot at Kevin. The men then jumped into the vehicle and fled. Kevin was shot on the side of his chest. The bullet punctured his lungs and went through his heart.
“Only when we heard the wheels spinning as the hijackers left, did we look up and hear Hendry’s scream to get help. I rang the bell at my house and shouted for my mum, Marge, to call the police and ambulance, while Hendry did CPR on Kevin,” said Bronwen.
Afraid that he was getting worse, Bronwyn, Hendry and Lindsey carried Kevin to to the car and decided to take him to Westville Hospital. On the way they saw an emergency vehicle just past Limpus Road, Pinetown. Bronwen shouted to one of the paramedics that her brother had been shot and they tried to resuscitate him. By then, emergency services as well as police had rushed to the scene.
“They worked on him for an hour on the side of Underwood Road, but Kevin suffered major blood loss and died,” said Browen.
Kevin, who was a Queensburgh entrepreneur, owned a distribution company, K Distributors, in Queensmead Industrial. He also owned a coffee and cocktail bar, The Log. His siblings, Bronwen, Dean and Richard described him as a compassionate, outgoing, happy and generous man.
“He was the life of every party, always wore a smile on his face and was a real gentleman,” said Dean.
He is survived by his wife, Lindsey, his two children, Carma and Mason, parents Ron and Marge, siblings Bronwen, Dean, Richard and Sean and his in-laws Greg, Judy, Tennille and Christen Richards.
