GEORGE NEWS - A young man from Thembalethu, Kwanele Venkile (18) died last Thursday, 20 September, after his friend accidentally shot him with a stolen firearm.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Venkile and three of his friends, aged between 18 and 21 years, were searching for another young man. One of his friends (19) allegedly fiddled with the gun he had in his possession and a shot went off, hitting Venkile in the back with the exit wound on the neck. He died on the scene.
The suspect and the two other men fled the scene on foot. He was later found at a house in Zone 4 where police also confiscated the firearm and the magazine that were hid in the backyard of a dwelling.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said the Outeniqua K9 unit and forensic experts were called to the scene and after further investigation recovered the firearm and magazine containing live rounds.
"The possibility that they are linked to a gang is being investigated, but cannot be confirmed at this stage. Ballistic tests will be done on the firearm to ascertain whether it was used in other crimes," said Pojie.
Earlier the police confirmed that the firearm Venkile was shot with, a Lorcin 9mm pistol, was stolen in Thembalethu in July 2015 during a house robbery.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in the Thembalethu Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 25 September. Details on the court appearance were not available at the time of going to print.
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