Suspected Gang Shooting Leaves Toddler (2) Wounded

A suspected gang shooting in Bonteheuwel on Wednesday night has left a two-year-old child wounded and a 32-year-old man dead.

Police say the suspects fled the scene on Wednesday night and were yet to be arrested.

“The circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation and the child was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Cases of murder and attempted murder have been opened for further investigation,” said Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk.

Over the past few days, gang violence had flared up in parts of Cape Town.

A family of four was recovering in hospital after an attack by gunmen in Lentegeur. The incident occurred just before 11 am on Wednesday.

Two boys, aged nine and 14, and their parents were wounded after suspects entered their home and opened fire.

The family was attacked in their wendy house, leaving the Lentegeur community concerned it signalled a return to rampant shootings.

The Lenteguer Community Policing Forum’s Byron de Villiers said while police were enforcing the ban on cigarette sales, they had forgotten there was a gang war putting men, women, and children at risk.

“We are once again in the middle of a gang war and no attention is being given to the situation, and it’s frustrating. Where is the army now to come and help and other law enforcement agencies?” he asked.

Earlier this week, a seven-year-old boy was shot and wounded while sleeping in a wendy house in Manenberg, and in another incident, a 10-year-old girl and an elderly man were also wounded by stray bullets.

The plea from these communities was to get more boots on the ground – not only to deal with the coronavirus but also to address gang violence.

EWN