AN eight-year-old girl and her family are still recovering from the ordeal of being caught in the crossfire during the shootout between MML Security reaction officer, Ryno Opperman, and six armed suspects on Sunday.
According to the Birch Acres couple, who wished to remain anonymous, the valiant attempts of the officer put the family’s life in danger as their car was shot at during the shootout after an armed robbery at Birchgate.
Opperman was admitted to hospital after he was shot in the knee and underwent surgery on Monday. He will remain off duty until he has fully recovered.
“We were on our way to the hospital to pick up someone. While waiting for the traffic light to change we saw the MML vehicle stop in front of the traffic light and that’s when the bullets started flying around,” explained the father.
What the family did not know, was that the taxi that stopped behind them was the vehicle Opperman was in pursuit of shortly after an armed robbery at a bottle store in Birchgate.
“We all ducked for cover as bullets were coming from every direction. We just had to wait until the commotion had calmed down before we could lift our heads,” he added.
The family’s main concern is that as civilians they believe the reaction officer could have at least alerted them of the situation so they could try and drive away.
“He didn’t tell us to duck, move or anything. All we heard were the gunshots. One of them went through the backseat where my little girl was sitting and then through my headrest,” he said.
After their ordeal the family drove back to their home where they tried to calm down as their daughter had been hysterical.
“The first thing she said when we got home was that she and her daddy almost got shot in the head. She was quite traumatised as a result of the ordeal and has seen a counsellor,” her mother said.
Apart from the back window being smashed to pieces, there were several bullet holes in the car, including the roof, tailgate, backseat, driver’s headrest and door panels.
“We now have to rely on friends to give us a lift as we don’t know how we are going to have the car repaired,” she added.
Although the little girl is back at school, as her parents believe she should get back into her routine, she will still see a counsellor when necessary.
The family has sought legal assistance to claim for damages to their vehicle during the shootout from the security company.
“While our brave reaction officers put their lives on the line to protect the public and prevent damage to private property, MML Security cannot be held liable for any damage to public or private property by criminals,” the company’s spokesman, Stephen Steyn, said.
