News
Gunman casually walks away after shooting man at filling station
The scene of a man robbing people at a petrol station.
- A man was shot and wounded at a filling station in Thokoza in full view of staff.
- The shooter then casually walked away before going to back to the victim to search him.
- The victim is in a critical condition in hospital.
A man was shot in broad daylight at a filling station in Thokoza, Gauteng, in full view of staff and passing motorists.
The incident, which was captured on CCTV, has gone viral on social media.
In the video, two men can be seen at the filling station moments before the shooting. The men – one in a yellow jacket and the other in a blue jacket – are standing next to a grey Renault Kwid and a white truck. Another man is seen crouching between them, putting air in the tyres.
Suddenly, the man in the blue jacket points a gun at the man in yellow. The two men then “quarrel” and push each other towards the open space at the back of the Kwid. As that happens, the crouching man jumps up and flees.
A filling station worker who approaches the pumps to help a customer retreats.
The man in blue then hits the man in yellow on the head and shoots him. After the shooting, the man in yellow can be seen lying on the ground while the shooter casually walks away.
A few seconds later, however, the shooter returns to the victim, stands next to him, kicks him, points the gun at him again and searches him. This happens in full view of two staff members and a motorist in a red bakkie. The shooter then gets into the Kwid and drives off.
Moments later, a taxi driver flags down a passing Ekurhuleni metro police vehicle, which rushes to the filling station. After getting a few facts from the staff, the officers rush off in hot pursuit of the shooter.
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The man was apprehended by Thatha Zonke, an anti-crime organisation in the area, a short while later.
In a separate video released on social media after the arrest, the alleged shooter gives his version of events, saying that he was confused by what had happened before the shooting.
“We (victim and alleged shooter) were happy to see each other. But when I went to his side of the car, it seemed as if he was loading the gun. I used my left hand to block him and ask what was happening. And that’s when I got scared and asked him what he was doing.
“In no time, he had fallen on the floor because I pulled the trigger,” he said.
The scene of a man robbing people at a petrol station.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said a 33-year-old man was arrested on Sunday and appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
“The accused has been charged with hijacking and attempted murder and is set to make his second court appearance on 14 February,” said Masondo.
The victim was said to be in a critical condition in hospital.