It was "pure criminality" when police shot a street vendor or a three-year-old child, National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele's spokeswoman said yesterday. Nonkululeko Mbatha was reacting to criticism that the fatal police shooting of three-year-old Atlegang Phalan in Klipfontein View, north of Joburg, on Saturday was related to Cele's shoot-to-kill statements. "People are listening to what the commissioner is not saying," she said. "What (Cele) said was that police must act decisively and accordingly when faced with danger. Police can't die with guns in their pockets. "But it is pure criminality when police shoot a street vendor or a three-year-old child," said Mbatha. "That child (Atlegang) wasn't even running around. Where was the threat? "Police can't be shooting at innocent people, and those who do will be dealt with accordingly," said Mbatha.
Meanwhile, the dead child's father, Vusi Mchunu, was yesterday released by police after spending three nights in custody. They arrested him when he arrived at the scene of his son's killing, allegedly for a murder committed in Alexandra. Alexandra police Constable Neria Malefetse said police were tracking a suspect in a murder case in which a man in his 30s was fatally shot during an argument over parking space. She could not say if they were looking for more than one suspect but emphasised that "the suspect was known to the police".
Atlegang and his uncle Bongani Mchunu were in the backseat when an unmarked police vehicle pulled up next to their vehicle and a shot was fired. The Independent Complaints Directorate said the officer allegedly fired the shot after seeing a pipe that looked like a firearm. No gun was found in the car. Atlegang's father was arrested when he arrived at the scene. Before he could say goodbye to his son, police officers grabbed and handcuffed him. Bongani said all that Mchunu wanted was to see his son's body, but instead he was forced to lie handcuffed several metres away. Another man, identified by police as Peter Monaisa, 39, was also arrested as he came out of the house where the car was parked. Police said Monaisa yesterday appeared in court for the Alexandra murder and his case was postponed to November 17.
Atlegang's death has raised widespread criticism following similar incidents in which police have fatally shot innocent people. The DA said yesterday: "The proximity between the recent spate of police attacks on civilians and (Cele's) wild talk about shooting to kill is surely no coincidence."
Source: News 24
No comments:
Post a Comment