Two police officers were arrested Friday night in connection with the death of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julius of Eldorado Park. The police officers are attached to the local police’s crime prevention unit.
“The independent police investigation directorate (IPID) has decided, after careful consideration of the evidence presented, to arrest the two members involved in the alleged shooting,” IPID spokesperson Ndileka Cola said in a statement.
According to Cola, the police officers are charged at this stage of murder. They may later also be charged with obstruction of justice.
The shootout between the gang members and police broke out after the police received a tip about stolen car parts in the area.
Mo Senne, spokesperson for Not In My Name International (Nimni), said this week that Nathaniel’s death was “a direct result of armed men in blue who did not receive adequate training”.
According to reports, the family claims the boy died when he did not respond to requests from the police. However, he could not pay attention because he was born with Down Syndrome.
The community this week demanded justice for Nathaniel’s death. This led to protests in the area and police officers had to use rubber bullets to disperse the angry crowd.
