Shooting spree accused sentenced to 11 years imprisonment
The first accused was found guilty at the Durban Magistrates Court on five counts.
THREE years after a day of senseless shootings in Wentworth, an accused was finally found guilty at the Durban Magistrates Court.
He was further ordered to compensate the man he shot and injured who now walks with crutches.
Wentworth police communications officer, Captain Mbuso Gumede, said the community bore witness to several traumatic shootings on 3 December 2017 when the two accused went on a shooting spree. “The first shooting happened on Hime Street, where the shooter known as ‘Kaljee’ shot at a wooden shack and injured a female in her head. The suspects then fled to the Woodville area where the second shooting occurred at a house. A witness was standing at his house when the accused shot at his premises, and the second accused fired shots at his neighbour’s bakkie, punching one of the tyres.”
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“The second suspect then ran down Woodville Road and came across a Hyundai Tucson with three male occupants. The first accused then fired several shots at the vehicle, however, the occupants were not injured. Several bullets had penetrated and damaged the vehicle. Both suspects fled thereafter,” said Gumede.
At the time of the incident, an off-duty police officer traced both the accused with the assistance of the flying squad and arrested both shooters and detained them. Det-W/O Walter Marais was tasked with the investigation and from the outset successfully objected bail at the Durban Magistrates Court, whereby bail was denied for the first accused. “The investigating officer had to obtain several witness statements and collect evidence on ballistics reports to ensure that a watertight case was presented in court. During the investigation process, Det-W/O Marais also found out that the first accused was also convicted of a previous attempted murder in Wentworth in 2016 and was given a suspended sentence. On that case, he shot a male at Engen garage in Austerville Drive. He has been found guilty and given a suspended sentence and ordered to compensate the victim.”
READ: Crime plagues Wentworth community
The first accused was found guilty at the Durban Magistrates Court on five counts including, attempted murder, malicious injury to property and was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment on Wednesday, 11 September. The second accused known as “Malik was implicated in the malicious injury to property case only and was acquitted in court,” said Gumede.
Det Marais said this will serve as a deterrent to those who shoot randomly at any public spaces and who commit crimes with firearms, and that the court will punish them when passing sentences.
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