Pupil guns down alleged bully

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Johannesburg - Tired of being bullied, an 18-year-old pupil allegedly took his mother’s gun, brought it to school and shot dead his tormenter in the classroom.

The Grade 11 pupil has been arrested and charged with murder.

Police sent a SWAT unit to the school in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, to arrest the youth.

Gauteng Education Department spokesman Charles Phahlane said the 18-year-old, from Phineas Xulu Secondary School, brought his mother’s firearm to school on Tuesday morning and shot a pupil who he accused of bullying him.

“The Grade 11 learner is alleged to have been bullied repeatedly by a Grade 10 learner and two other boys, who on Tuesday afternoon [Monday] allegedly took his cap and cellphone,” said Phahlane.

The boy apparently shot dead the Grade 10 pupil – also 18 – when confronted by him in class on Tuesday.

Phahlane said the pupil’s mother was a metro police officer and the boy had used her official firearm to kill his fellow pupil.

The Ekurhuleni metro police department, meanwhile, said the officer belonged to the SAPS, while Gauteng SAPS spokeswoman Captain Pinky Tsinyane said she did not know about the mother or what kind of gun was used, but that investigations were under way.



She said the youth, who was arrested on the scene, would appear in the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of murder and possession of an unlicensed gun.

The names of the alleged shooter and his alleged bully have not been released.

An unnamed school official, who answered the principal’s phone on Tuesday, said: “There will be no comment from the school.”

The department arranged for counsellors and representatives from faith-based groups to come to the school.

Phahlane said Education MEC Barbara Creecy and Community Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko would meet to discuss ways to curb schoolchildren’s access to firearms.

In a recent study by Unisa’s Bureau of Market Research among about 3 300 pupils in 24 high schools across Gauteng, 34 percent said they had been bullied in the past two years.



The department addressed the problem of bullying at a colloquium in August after a series of incidents, including the following:

* Earlier this year, 16-year-old David Hlongwane hanged himself with an electric cord in his Soshanguve home. It was alleged he committed suicide after he was bullied at Lethabong High School by four older boys.

* The scourge of cyber-bullying came to the fore when a 15-year-old Krugersdorp High pupil was attacked by a schoolfriend with a glass bottle after a series of online attacks by another girl and her friends.

“Bullying is increasingly widespread, especially from a cyber-bullying point of view – it’s just rocketing,” said Izabella Gates, managing director of youth issues NGO Life Talk.

– Additional reporting by Louise Flanagan



The Star
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http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/pupil-guns-down-alleged-bully-1.1427619#.UKyBlYecf9t

So, who's the real victim here? The dead bully or the bullied boy who's life is most probably over now?
 
We've had bullies in school and kids who have been bullied, and nobody ever shot or stabbed anyone. The bullies usually got six of the best with a salt-water soaked cane ;)
 
efitol said:
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/pupil-guns-down-alleged-bully-1.1427619#.UKyBlYecf9t

So, who's the real victim here? The dead bully or the bullied boy who's life is most probably over now?
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They need to investigate why he didn't inform the school/police of the theft and why he felt that killing was the answer.

I think bullying in South African schools is different as often as in this case students are adults and failed multiple years so they would not look up to to a teacher as authority figure where a child would more easily do so.
 
Slootvreter said:
We've had bullies in school and kids who have been bullied, and nobody ever shot or stabbed anyone. The bullies usually got six of the best with a salt-water soaked cane ;)
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Some bullies are worse than others. Anyway, we don't know the full story (from both sides) but I'm kinda sympathizing with shooter.
 
How did he get access to the gun? Is it not supposed to be in a locked safe? Where was the mother? Does she not have to take it with her to work? Very sad....
 
Hamster said:
Some bullies are worse than others. Anyway, we don't know the full story (from both sides) but I'm kinda sympathizing with shooter.
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Im there as well. I know how bad bullies can be and how they can destroy a person so I actually dont feel anything for the bully that was shot.
 
Refraction said:
How did he get access to the gun? Is it not supposed to be in a locked safe? Where was the mother? Does she not have to take it with her to work? Very sad....
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Jeez, I always knew what a gun was, and even if I had access to one, I knew not to use it on someone. Parenting fail here combined with this thing called human rights. Kids at school can get away with anything because corporal punishment is now illegal. :rolleyes:
 
If you keep on pushing someone over and over again. Dont be surprised when they snap in a very volatile manner. Most bullies get away with destroying their victims. This one did not.
 
ghoti said:
Im there as well. I know how bad bullies can be and how they can destroy a person so I actually dont feel anything for the bully that was shot.
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Don't get me wrong though - still a kid that died and that is fcking sad. Just sucks that a "victim's" life is ruined :(
 
Slootvreter said:
Hope he realizes now what a dumb thing he has done by shooting someone.
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Have you ever been bullied? Had to live with the shame and the feeling of helplessness? Would you rather have had him kill himself instead? And the next kid that the bully would have bullied?
 
Hamster said:
Don't get me wrong though - still a kid that died and that is fcking sad. Just sucks that a "victim's" life is ruined :(
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I agree, but Ive seen what bullying can do and how it destroys someone, so I dont feel one iota of sadness for this bully. I do feel sad that the shooter was pushed this far.
 
She said the youth, who was arrested on the scene, would appear in the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of murder and possession of an unlicensed gun.
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So police guns are no longer licensed?
 
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