A 22-year-old man was arrested after gang members started shooting at each other on the Cape Flats in Parkwood at Grassy Park on Monday and shot a ten-year-old boy in the process. Nehemiah Arries died at a Cape Town hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
The man, whose name has not been released, is on trial for murder.
Col. Andrè Traut, police spokesperson, says a shootout broke out between members of one gang and a gang member of another gang in Parkers Walk, Parkwood, around 11:00 in the morning. Nehemiah was apparently playing outside his house when a stray bullet allegedly hit him in the head.
He was rushed to a hospital in Cape Town in a serious condition where he received further medical treatment. He was connected to a life-support device that was turned off Tuesday afternoon.
The Grassy Park Community Policing Forum (CPF) condemned the incident on its Facebook page.
“This is a sad moment for the community of Parkwood. “Nehemiah’s name will be remembered like the other child victims who ended up in the crossfire of gangs,” reads the entry.
“The CPF is concerned that another child should be robbed of a future.”
Melvin Jonkers, chairman of the GPF, expressed his condolences to Nehemiah’s family.
“We especially express our condolences to his dear mother and father. We will see to it that justice is done. We work closely with Grassy Park’s police and the anti-gang unit to ensure that offenders receive the maximum punishment for this heinous crime. We condemn all gang activities, ”says Jonkers.
