Two adults and a three-year-old girl were travelling in a vehicle on the corner of Highlands Drive and Eisleben Road in Mitchells Plain on Wednesday when gunmen opened fire. According to police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk, the child sustained a fatal gunshot wound to her head.
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According to News24, the shooting injured a 25-year-old woman believed to be the little girl’s mother and a 28-year-old man she was travelling with.
“According to reports, the driver of the vehicle drove to the hospital as he and two passengers, a 25-year-old female and her three-year-old daughter, were shot at,” said van Wyk.
Captain van Wyk stated that the female sustained a bullet wound in her right arm, and the male sustained bullet wounds in his face and shoulder.
A case of murder and two cases of attempted murder are under investigation; however, so far no arrests have been made.
The motive for the shooting is unknown at this time and is being investigated.
The Lenteguer Community Policing Forum’s Byron de Villiers said that Wednesday’s shooting could be gang-related, as shootings, especially gang-related ones, were not uncommon in the area.
De Villiers went on to say that the CPF had requested more officers and increased visibility from the police.
Ward councillor Joan Woodman stated that the shooting occurred near a school, which had many parents concerned about their children’s safety. She added that the child did not live in the neighbourhood.
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen said: “I condemn the shooting that occurred this past Wednesday in Lentegeur and Mitchells Plain. No 3-year-old deserves to die in this callous manner. Life has become cheap for those who are set on turning our communities into places where lawlessness is the order of the day.”
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