Family angered by father’s ‘mistaken’ killing in taxi shootout
The elderly man was shot and killed during a taxi violence shootout outside the government mortuary in the Moot earlier this week.
The family of the man who was shot dead during a taxi violence-related shooting earlier this week, has been angered by the alleged mistaken killing of their father.
Joseph Sikhakhane was shot and killed during a shootout between police and a wanted suspect who was believed to have been in one of the three vehicles which were driving out of the government mortuary at Tshwane district hospital in the Moot on Wednesday.
“My father was there to collect our deceased relative’s body so it could be taken back home to KwaZulu-Natal. He was not involved in the shooting,” the elderly man’s son Kwenza Sikhakhane told Rekord, adding his father was not the suspect the police were pursuing.
In the moments leading up to the shooting, police, in collaboration with the Gauteng traffic police were said to have intercepted two vehicles and a Toyota Quantum as they were driving out of the government mortuary along Dr Savage Road.
The people police identified as suspects reportedly starting shooting and the police responded by returning fire.
Kwenza, albeit understanding why his father was identified as a suspect, said the family was angered as it seemed as though his father had been involved in the shootout.
“My father arrived here earlier this week, with the intention of fetching the body from the mortuary but now he’s also dead. He was supposed to go back home to KwaZulu-Natal on the day he was killed,” the emotional son told Rekord.
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When contacted for comment over the allegation that an innocent man was killed, police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said: “We will not be drawn into conducting the investigation through the media by giving a blow-by-blow account of investigations emanating from the shooting.”
Three law enforcement officers – two belonging to the SAPS and the other traffic police – were also injured and rushed to hospital after the shootout.
Peters said the officers were in a stable condition.
Meanwhile, two other suspects were also injured.
A total of 11 suspects were arrested, one was allegedly found with a licensed firearm but unlicensed ammunition.
The ammunition belonged to a different firearm, police said.
All four firearms which were recovered were expected to be subjected to ballistic testing and all those arrested profiled to determine possible links to other crimes.
ALSO READ: Police eye more arrests after deadly taxi shootout in Moot
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