With the hustle and bustle of a normal workday at the Coco Bistro Restaurant in Erasmuskloof on Wednesday morning, one would never have guessed that a man was gunned down in the venue the previous night.
He was shot and killed by two unknown gunmen around 19:30 on Tuesday. Police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach said no arrests had been made but the investigation was continuing.
The same buzzing and lively atmosphere customers experienced on Wednesday marked the night before when the fatal shooting took place.
“It was a beautiful night out,” said Coco Bistro owner Grahame Gertsch, who witnessed the shooting. “Stars were shining, the vibe was great and customers were enjoying each other’s company when I suddenly heard an ear-deafening crash, smash and banging sounds. At that exact time the whole atmosphere erupted into chaos.”
Gertsch’s first thought it was an armed robbery. “But as one of our regular and respected customers collapsed at my feet with a bullet hole in his body, I realised that the restaurant was not the target,” he said.
As Gertsch was rushing out, he saw the wounded man moving frantically down the passageway. He was falling over tables and chairs as he tried to make his way to the front of the restaurant.
When he reached the entrance, he collapsed at a shocked Gertsch’s feet.
He said pandemonium ruled as everyone tried to get to safety.
“I noticed a father running with his arms wrapped around his infant child towards the kitchen and husbands falling over their wives to protect them from whatever is happening. It was five minutes of sheer panic,” he said.
Gertsch grouped the Coco staff together to restore some kind of order as they rushed to the wounded man’s aid.
“A regular customer, who is also a doctor, administered CPR and tried to stop the bleeding but nothing worked. The man unfortunately died minutes later.”
He said the two gunmen were at the restaurant for nearly an hour before the shooting. They had dinner at Coco and paid in cash before casually standing up, walking to the victim’s table and shooting him. “After the shooting both men casually walked out of the restaurant and disappeared.”
He said paramedics and the police were on the scene within minutes.
Rina Willemse said she was seated for nearly 15 minutes when she suddenly heard a loud noise. “I saw the shot man falling to the floor and minutes later he died. Bystanders were desperately trying to resuscitate him but nothing worked.”
Read: Man killed at restaurant
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