Teen shot dead by cops (METRO)

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Teen shot dead by cops

By Alex Eliseev and Shaun Smillie

A 15-year-old boy is dead and three of his friends are in hospital after they were allegedly shot by Ekurhuleni metro police department (EMPD) officers dispersing a neighbourhood party.

The Delmore Park community are furious at what they consider to have been unprovoked violence by officers acting "like gangsters".

Alexander Thys died after being shot in the head, chest and groin on Sunday. His three friends suffered multiple wounds over their bodies.

It's believed they were fired upon with birdshot or buckshot - pellet-like ammunition that EMPD officers used during the xenophobia attacks in the nearby Ramaphosa settlement last year.

Alexander appears to have been hit in or near his heart and lungs.

The EMPD have denied using buckshot, saying they were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse a crowd who were verbally assaulting them and "pelting them with an assortment of missiles".

Three other boys - Christopher Bosch, Ethan Erasmus and Shan Sebatie - were recovering in Natalspruit Hospital yesterday.

X-rays revealed pea-sized pellets on Christopher's legs, abdomen and thigh, while one bullet had passed through his right ear lobe, entered his neck and settled next to his spine. Christopher and Ethan had to undergo abdominal surgery to remove the pellets.

A trauma surgeon, who saw a copy of an X-ray of one of the boys that showed the projectiles still in his body, believes at least one of the injured boys was hit with birdshot or buckshot. "Those ain't rubber bullets, they are too small for rubber," he said.

The surgeon added that they were widely dispersed across the body, suggesting a shotgun injury.

"From the wide dispersal, I would say it was fired from between 20 and 30 metres away," he added.

Christopher said four metro police officers had opened fire on them from a distance of between 10 and 50m. "They shouted f**ken Boesman (Bushman) and started shooting," said Christopher.

Yesterday, Thys's father Willem identified his son's body at the Germiston mortuary and said he had run out of tears to cry for the boy, who had excelled at school.

Alexander was due to turn 16 next month.

On Sunday evening he went to visit a friend at the party. He joined a group of six boys, including his 17-year-old brother Gavin.

The party was organised by the community, and one was held last year as well. The parents knew the youths were having a few drinks but didn't mind because they could keep an eye on them.

There was a DJ, and many cars playing music.

EMPD officers moved in during the evening. They confronted community leader Wayne van Zyl and ordered him to tell the partygoers to disperse.

Van Zyl complied and went home to fetch his camera, hoping to document the abuse he claims the officers were dishing out.

"As I was taking photos, they (officers) grabbed me from behind. They choked me until I released the camera and fell on the ground. Then they kicked me and smashed my camera," Van Zyl said.

He and 20 youths were held at the Reiger Park police station for about four hours. They were released after EMPD officers left the scene without charging them.

Van Zyl has laid charges against the EMPD.

According to Gavin, the boys were leaving when the shots rang out. The group scattered and ran towards the houses across the road.

Christopher, Ethan and Shan reached their homes, but Alexander collapsed near the road, where his father later found him. Neighbours said the boy was coughing up blood.

Delmore resident Arthur Madumbo said the EMPD "came with an intention to destroy" the party.

"They abused their power," he said. "We have naughty children, but we really didn't mind (the bash) yesterday. No EMPD life was in danger."

Other neighbours near the park said people wanted to leave the party but couldn't because of the road blockades set up by the police.

"The metro cops were the culprits. They are gangsters," said a woman into whose house one of the boys ran.

EMPD spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago said investigations were under way to get to the bottom of the matter.

He said officers had received reports of an illegal closure of streets and unruly behaviour. They had tried to persuade the residents to stop, but couldn't.

"Due to this unruly behaviour, police were compelled to use rubber bullets ... The EMPD does not issue buckshot ammunition and uses only rubber bullets for crowd control," Kgasago insisted.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20090908041315144C812038
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:mad:

They need to take away their guns and send them back to been meter maids

I dont believe that they were using only rubber rullets, I bet that they kept back some birdshot from the xeno riots and decided to show these people who was boss
 
well this is what you get if you just preach "shoot to kill....shoot to kill" and some get ahead of themselves thinking EISH! shoot to keel...
 
Ekurhuleni Metro cops are a useless untrained bunch.

They take their cue from their hero... Robert MacBride.
 
Necuno said:
well this is what you get if you just preach "shoot to kill....shoot to kill" and some get ahead of themselves thinking EISH! shoot to keel...
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nobody is preaching "shoot to kill" except the media.

Those in the Government who have been talking about it have been very careful to iterate that officers must operate within the confines of the law.

It is silly to connect this incident with that call to action. These officers were clearly using other forms of abuse as well... not just "shoot to kill".
 
This is sad, they can shoot okes having a party, yet they cant shoot the okes who break into my house and try to rob me ?
 
phiber said:
This is sad, they can shoot okes having a party, yet they cant shoot the okes who break into my house and try to rob me ?
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yeah and that just highlights how ****ING backwards this country is, not to mention the dumba$$es who are running it. God they are dumb.
 
phiber said:
This is sad, they can shoot okes having a party, yet they cant shoot the okes who break into my house and try to rob me ?
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Well the way i feel about my neighbours it might not have been the metro. When the idjits start to party i feel like shooting them.:mad:


No it was not me:p
 
Garyvdh said:
nobody is preaching "shoot to kill" except the media.

Those in the Government who have been talking about it have been very careful to iterate that officers must operate within the confines of the law.

It is silly to connect this incident with that call to action. These officers were clearly using other forms of abuse as well... not just "shoot to kill".
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maybe for you, but it still going to be a oncoming issue along the line, exactly the same as malema going of his mouth; sooner or later someone is going to take it wrongly to heart and follow through claiming that it was his/her right to do so.
 
Yay! Let's vote the ANC in again, maybe next time they'll kill more people VIVA indeed! Fricking *******s!
 
Necuno said:
well this is what you get if you just preach "shoot to kill....shoot to kill" and some get ahead of themselves thinking EISH! shoot to keel...
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The shoot to kill issue has no bearing on this, there was no intent on the part of the metro idiots to kill anyone.

Rubber bullets are considered less lethal, bird shot while it is also classed as less lethal has the potential to do more harm and as far as I knew it had been phased out.

Although as far as I can seen the level of force employed is not proportinate to the threat, but I will wait for more info.
 
Necuno said:
maybe for you, but it still going to be a oncoming issue along the line, exactly the same as malema going of his mouth; sooner or later someone is going to take it wrongly to heart and follow through claiming that it was his/her right to do so.
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Then they can fully expect to be jailed for manslaughter or murder.
 
Who said the person at the party were not trouble makers?

I stand by shoot to kill. When the public know that questions will be asked later maybe they will behave a bit better.
 
Mila said:
Who said the person at the party were not trouble makers?

I stand by shoot to kill. When the public know that questions will be asked later maybe they will behave a bit better.
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Ja, it is pretty simple... except... for when you are not sure they are even cops.

A friend of ours was followed for about twenty mins the other night by a plain blue car. When they turned on a blue light she finally pulled over. They told her to put her hands out of the car and told her she was "driving suspiciously"... she said "Dur... of course I have been driving suspiciously, you've been following me for 20 mins". When she asked for some ID they refused to produce any. She only did what they said cos they were fully dressed like police officers. Even by the time they let her go, they still had not produced any ID... when they asked her why she had not driven straight home she said "Do you really think I am going to pull into my driveway when I think i am being followed by a suspicious vehicle"

Dummies :mad:
 
Garyvdh said:
Ja, it is pretty simple... except... for when you are not sure they are even cops.

A friend of ours was followed for about twenty mins the other night by a plain blue car. When they turned on a blue light she finally pulled over. They told her to put her hands out of the car and told her she was "driving suspiciously"... she said "Dur... of course I have been driving suspiciously, you've been following me for 20 mins". When she asked for some ID they refused to produce any. She only did what they said cos they were fully dressed like police officers. Even by the time they let her go, they still had not produced any ID... when they asked her why she had not driven straight home she said "Do you really think I am going to pull into my driveway when I think i am being followed by a suspicious vehicle"

Dummies :mad:
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:mad: that is disturbing:mad:
 
Garyvdh said:
Ja, it is pretty simple... except... for when you are not sure they are even cops.

A friend of ours was followed for about twenty mins the other night by a plain blue car. When they turned on a blue light she finally pulled over. They told her to put her hands out of the car and told her she was "driving suspiciously"... she said "Dur... of course I have been driving suspiciously, you've been following me for 20 mins". When she asked for some ID they refused to produce any. She only did what they said cos they were fully dressed like police officers. Even by the time they let her go, they still had not produced any ID... when they asked her why she had not driven straight home she said "Do you really think I am going to pull into my driveway when I think i am being followed by a suspicious vehicle"

Dummies :mad:
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I drive to the closest police station and don't stop for anyone.
 
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